Time travel around Sopron: how it looked in the past century vs now – PHOTOS

Sopron might not be the most visited or the most well-known Hungarian city, but it has a long history intertwined with the Hungarian spirit and the sense of belonging. It is not a very large city, it is not full of malls and shopping centres, but it is rich in history. In fact, Sopron has the second-most monuments in Hungary.

Sopron and its surrounding areas have a very long history as they have been inhabited since prehistoric times, and in the Roman period, the city was called ‘Scarbantia’ which is a very important and determining factor in the city’s image. There are a lot of archaeological areas that you can check out in the city, as well as museums, and some ruins can also be observed in the open and are a great part of the city’s style and atmosphere. There is almost always some kind of archaeological dig before any construction work. Now, let us see how Sopron changed over a hundred years or so.

Tűztorony (Fire Tower)

Maybe the easiest way would be to start with the most iconic building of Sopron, the Tűztorony (Fire Tower). The foundation of today’s tower was built sometime between 1290 and 1340. The iconic upper part of the tower was added later, but it is not young at all, as it was first mentioned in written form in 1409. The tower was fully renovated in 2012 and the old, larger gates were restored. Hopefully, this iconic building will remain for at least another 600 or so years.

Károly-kilátó (Károly Lookout Tower)

The Károly Lookout Tower was built on the 398-metre-high Károly Hill, which are both named after Károly Romwalter, a printer from Sopron, because it was him and his son who hired a carpenter to build the first lookout tower there, the one in the first image. The stone tower was finished in 1936 and has been standing proud ever since. For a small fee, you can climb to the top of the 23-metre-high lookout tower, and in good weather, you could even see as far as Pozsony (Bratislava), not to mention the stunning view of the Sopron Mountains and Lake Fertő.

You can check out our other time travel articles here:

• Time travel around Lake Balaton; how it looked in the past century and how it looks now – PHOTOS
• Time travel around Budapest; how it looked in the past century vs now – PHOTOS

Széchenyi tér (Széchenyi Square)

This square lies in the city centre of Sopron and many important buildings surround it, such as the main post office, the Ferenc Liszt Conference and Cultural Centre, three high schools, one named after the famous Hungarian himself, and many monuments on the square itself. On the opposite side of the square is the Hűségzászló (Flag of Fidelissima) which commemorates the referendum when Sopron decided to belong to Hungary after the Treaty of Trianon, earning the city the name Civitas Fidelissima (the most loyal city).

Várkerület (Castle District or maybe even Boulevard)

Várkerület is the central area of Sopron. You almost certainly will go through there at some point when you visit the city. Not only because many shops are there, but because it cuts through the city. Also, from a tourist point of view, almost all of the monuments can be visited from the street, such as the Tűztorony, or the castle walls from which the street got its name. Over the century, it had many different looks; believe it or not, there once were no roads, but dirt and horse carriages went up and down the street. There was also a time when a tram cut through the street and connected the railway station and what is now the Heineken beer factory where the famous Soproni beer has been made since 1895.