5+1 reasons you should visit Eger, the Hungarian Athens
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While Hungarians are lucky to have such a beautiful capital city like Budapest, there are other less known Hungarian cities that deserve some attention, such as Tata, or Esztergom, or Eger. In the following, we will present you 6 reasons why Eger, even though a relatively small town, is absolutely worth a trip, after all, even the Telegraph named it as one of the most beautiful European cities.
1. The Castle of Eger
During the Mongol invasion in the 13th century, the Castle of Eger was almost completely destroyed, so the bishop of Eger suggested building a wall around it. This wall helped to repel the Turks in 1552 when they laid siege to the castle. The defeat of the Turkish forces at Eger is of great historical importance and several poems and novels were written about it. However, a couple decades later the Turks were successful in their siege attempts. Furthermore, the castle suffered another heavy loss in 1701 when the Austrians blew up half of it.
The sights that you should visit here are the Episcopal palace (the oldest building in Eger), the remains of the old cathedral (built in the 13th century in Roman style, then rebuilt in Gothic, then again in Neo-Gothic style), the Dobó István Vármúzeum (a museum guiding you through the history of the castle) and the bastions designed by Italian architects.
For further information on the exhibitions in the castle, visit egrivar.hu/en
2. The wine
Hungarians love wine and are really good at making it. Eger is one of the most important wine towns, the best wine of Eger, the Egri Bikavér (Bull’s Blood) is internationally known and well-liked. Eger even has a wine museum, the National Wine Museum. If you like wines, you should also check out the Szépasszony-völgy (Valley of Beautiful Women), which is the home of 200 wine cellars and is internationally recognized for the excellent wines. You will find numerous wine bars on the narrow streets of Eger, along with classy wineries in the surrounding area, such as the St Andrea winery, where a professional staff awaits you and helps you to choose your drink, or the Egri Korona Borház Wellness, where you will get the chance to taste some of the best wines of Eger and to also have a splash in one of their pools.
3. The Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Apostle
The Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Apostle is one of Hungary’s biggest churches, with astonishing architecture and decoration. The constructions began in 1831, but the completion took place only in the 1950’s. Its dome is 37 meters high and is lavishly decorated. The church has altogether four bells in two towers: the biggest one has its separate ‘home’ in the northern tower, while the three smaller ones are in the southern tower. Some argue that the Italian architect responsible for the design might have gone too heavy on ornaments, as apart from the imposing dome, the portal on the eastern porch resembles the entrance of a Greek temple.
