Eger is one of the most wonderful baroque towns in Hungary. It can boast a 1000-year-old bishop’s seat (it is an archdiocese today), a glorious past and valuable groups of monuments.
It was Istvan Dobo who made it the town of patriotism. In 1552 he and his small troop resisted the Turkish army (a force 20 times as large) for more than a month. An immortal novel “”The Stars of Eger”” by Geza Gardonyi (1863-1922) is about the town of patriotism.
Eger is more than a town of thermal baths and students; it is also a town of wine: the excellent red and white wines of its famous and historic wine-producing region are measured in several hundred-year-old cellars.
The second largest church in Hungary is the classicist Archbishop’s Cathedral (Eszterhazy Square). It has the country’s biggest organ. On the first floor of the late-baroque Lyceum – a teachers college today – we can find one of the most famous libraries in the country, with ornamental carvings and wonderful ceiling-frescos. The Main Bishopric Library has 130,000 volumes, including the first book printed in Hungary (in 1473), and a letter written by Mozart. In the tower we can find the country’s first astronomical museum, the Spekula Observatory.
The most interesting device in this state-of-the-art (in 1776) observatory is the periscope, which projects the real image of the town on a white board in the darkened room.
The residence of the bishops of Eger is the Bishop’s Palace (Szechenyi Street 1-3). The carefully-guarded treasure of the Bishop’s Collection Centre (Szechenyi street 5.), recalling the town’s 250-year history, is the crowning pall of Habsburg Empress Maria Theresia.
Within the grounds of the Mediaeval Egri Castle (Vár Street 1.) – the victorious, fortified castle of the “”Turkish Age”” – archaeologists have excavated the remains of the cathedral from the 13th century and restored the Gothic Bishop’s Palace from the 15th century. The Dobo Istvan Castle Museum, which exhibits the common history of the castle and the town, is located here (Vár street 1.). We can see Dobo Istvan’s grave in the Heroes’ Hall, and the Stone Repertory in the underground casemates. The Prison Museum, the Waxworks, the Mint and the Gallery (with paintings from the 16th to the 18th centuries) evoke historical times. The grave of Geza Gardonyi, who recorded the heroic deeds of the defenders of the castle, can be found in the yard of the castle. A memorial museum was established in his former house. (Gardonyi Geza Street 28).
The Turkish Bath (Furdo Street 1.) is a monument from the Turkish conquest (1526-1686). Its water is good for diseases of the locomotor system and rheumatism. It has seven pools and is open throughout the year (Petofi square 2).
Szépasszony-valley – Eger
The fair valley is Eger coherent wine cellar area with largest expansion. The row of legends is connected with the development of his name. Based on a 1843 document, Bakó Ferenc according to an ethnographer, the fair was one of the goddess of the ancient religion, the goddess of a shape, the love is similar to Vénusz. A beautiful woman, to who it is traced back likewise, lived in a truth concerned in the valley for it near direct one according to other researches the name of the valley.
Eger and the cellars which can be hit on his neighbourhood, disregarding few exceptions, hole cellars cut into a rhyolite tuff. The rhyolite tuff excellently shapable, in him the wine 10-15 oC to be stood-os on a temperature tenable.
The aesthetic street furnitures, the well-groomed green areas, the bacon oven worked up places, the number of the free-time programs growing continuously, all-all of them contribute to the unbroken development of the area, onto one more domestic one and onto a foreign country guest’s content.
Eger of Basilica – Eger
The building of the Eger basilica Pyrker János Lukács is attached to an archbishop’s name, who I. Ferenc emperor in 1827 appointed onto Egri Főegyházmegye edge. Pyrker was a Venetian patriarch before this. His cosmopolitism and your artist’s affection inspired it in order for Hild to ask József for the planning of the building of the basilica.
Was beginning in the 1831 Februaries of the building operations and 1836 ended in his May. This was a very serious performance if we compare these five years with the building of the other, churches of our homeland with similar greatness. The church between festive frameworks 1837. May 6-it was ordained on 7.
The Eger basilica between the church buildings of our homeland with a largest size owes. Marco Casagrande sculptures decorate the two sides of the classic flight of stairs leading up into the church: the two holy Hungarian kings, István and László, at the back the two head apostles, Péter and Pál.
They put the portico before the entrance on onto Roman Pantheon’s sample. The 17 metre ones korinthoszi columns keep a tympanum, which inscription of his with a Latin language: Come on, we adore the lord. Above the tympanum the symbolical shapes of the faith, a hope and affection can be found.
The forming of the church interior took up much more time, than his building. The decoration of the inside, the completion of the altars, the painting of the ceiling frescos lasted until nearly 120 years.
The first section of the decoration finished until 1846, in which the items of the sculptor works the most essential ones, and a Venetian sculptor got his share of Marco Casagrande mentioned already in a dog the leading role. The head’s and side altars’ paintings, which come from Italian painters mostly,, from Pyrker own private properties paid it off.
Pyrker János Lukács died of Vienna in 1847. His heart was buried on the central part of the crypt according to his wish in the crypt, because than said it: Let it be the heart, which beat for Eger, the Eger ones’.
The big patron after an archbishop’s death the inner decorator works intermittently, but they continued longer. It was played on the right side of the sanctuary in 1881 little the Máriapócs one csodatévő virgin Lady Chapel devoted to his respect, which is a pilgrim today, place.
St. Michael, the city set it up between 1893-94 in the ending of the left side side aisle and onto the respect of the parsonage’s former patron saint consecrated carrarai white marble altar.
Fortress of Eger – Istvan Dobo Fortress
Museum – castle – Eger
The fortress of Eger, which has lived through many tough centuries was begun on Castle Hill after the invasion of the Tartars, in the 13th century. On this spot there had been a cathedral and an Episcopal palace as far back as the time of the King Stephen I (1000-1038), the founder of the Hungarian State.
As a result of the Turkish threat, the place was fortified in the 16th century. István Dobo was appointed Governor in 1548, and he carried on the fortification of the castle. He ordered the building of a new bastion, which was later named after him.
During the attack of the Turkish army in 1552 only about five hundred horsemen and just about the same number of soldiers were inside the fortress. Yet in the desperate battle fought against the 80,000 Turks, in which even the inhabitants of the fortress, girls and women took their part – the defenders succeeded in winning a remarkable victory. Their triumph is written with golden letters in the history book of Hungarians.
Today, the exhibitions of the István Dobo Fortress Museum can be visited inside the walls of the castle.
Eger Thermal Bath – Thermal baths – Eger
The Bath is situated in a beautiful park, near the Eger stream, not far from the city.
Ancient sycamore and cypres trees are found in the theritory of the Bath, and some tropical plants and animals. There are 6 different termal basins and a swimming pool, massage basin and slide for children.
Water components: calcium-magnezium-hydrocarbonated water, temperature: 27-38 C. Currative effects suggestions: rheumatic disease, spine pains, skin- and gyneologiar problems.