| 149th | Top wine-producing regions |
| 5th | Top German exonyms for places in Hungary |
| 9th | Top cities and towns in Hungary: 50,000 - 100,000 (middle-sized cities) |
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Sopron |
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Sopron
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| Coordinates: 47°41′06″N 16°34′59″E / 47.68489°N 16.58305°E | |||
| Country |  Hungary |
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| County | Győr-Moson-Sopron | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 169.06 km2 (65.3 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2008) | |||
| - Total | 57,895 | ||
| - Density | 342.45/km2 (886.9/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 9400 | ||
| Area code(s) | 99 | ||
Sopron (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈʃopron]); German: Ödenburg, Croatian: Šopron, Latin: Scarbantia) is a city in Hungary on the Austrian border, near the Neusiedler/Lake Fertő.
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The area has been inhabited since ancient times. When the area that is today Western Hungary was a province of the Roman Empire, a city called Scarbantia stood here. Its forum was located where the main square of Sopron is found today.
During the Migration Period Scarbantia was believed to be deserted and by the time Hungarians arrived in the area, it was in ruins. In the 9th–11th centuries Hungarians strengthened the old Roman city walls and built a castle. The town received its Hungarian name at this time from a castle steward named Suprun. In 1153 it was mentioned as an important town.
In 1273 King Otakar II of Bohemia occupied the castle. Even though he took the children of Sopron's nobility with him as hostages, the city opened its gates when the armies of King Ladislaus IV of Hungary arrived. The king awarded Sopron by elevating it to the rank of free royal town.
During the Ottoman occupation of Hungary the Ottoman Turks ravaged the city in 1529, but did not occupy it. Many people from the occupied areas fled to Sopron, and the city's importance grew.
In 1676 Sopron was destroyed by a fire. The modern-day city was born in the next few decades, when beautiful Baroque buildings were built in place of the old medieval ones. Sopron became seat of the comitatus Sopron.
Following the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the German inhabited parts of four western Hungarian counties (Pozsony (Pressburg in German), Vas (Eisenburg), Sopron (Ödenburg), Moson (Wieselburg) were awarded to Austria in the Treaties of St.Germain (1919). After local unrest, Sopron's status as part of Hungary (along with that of the surrounding eight villages) was decided by a local plebiscite held on December 14, 1921, with 65% voting for Hungary. Since then Sopron has been called Civitas Fidelissima ("The Most Loyal Town", Hungarian: A Leghűségesebb Város), and the anniversary of the plebiscite is a city holiday. The other three (the fourth county, Pressburg/Pozsony, remained in Czechoslovakia) western parts of the awarded counties today form the Austrian federal state of Burgenland.
Sopron suffered greatly during World War II, as the Nazis and their Hungarian allies transported to death camps and killed almost all Jewish citizens and some left-wing workers, and it was bombed several times. The Soviet Red Army captured the city on April 1, 1945. On August 19, 1989, it was the site of the Pan-European Picnic, a protest on the border between Austria and Hungary, which was used by over 600 citizens of East Germany to escape from the GDR to the West. As the first successful crossing of the border it helped pave the way for the mass flight of East German citizens that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989.
During the Socialist era the government tried to turn Sopron into an industrial city, but much of the medieval town center remains, allowing the city to remain an attractive site for tourists.
Today, Sopron's economy immensely benefits from the European Union. Having been a city close to nowhere, that is, to the Iron Curtain, Sopron now has re-established full trade relations to nearby Austria. Furthermore, after being suppressed during the Cold War, Sopron's German culture and heritage is now recognized again. As a consequence, in the city most street-and traffic-signs are written in both Hungarian and German. Visitors admire the large number of buildings in this city that reflect medieval architecture - rare in war-torn Hungary. Situated close to the Austrian border, Sopron receives many visitors from Vienna (70 km away), and from Bratislava, Slovakia (77 km away), as well as from the United States, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Japan, and Scandinavia, who visit to take advantage of the excellent low-cost dental services offered: Sopron boasts so many dental clinics—more than 300—that the city is known as the "dental capital of the world." [1][2]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | %± |
| 1870 | 23,102 | — |
| 1880 | 25,513 | 10.4% |
| 1890 | 29,788 | 16.8% |
| 1900 | 36,790 | 23.5% |
| 1910 | 38,114 | 3.6% |
| 1920 | 39,525 | 3.7% |
| 1930 | 40,906 | 3.5% |
| 1941 | 47,569 | 16.3% |
| 1949 | 36,506 | −23.3% |
| 1960 | 41,981 | 15.0% |
| 1970 | 47,952 | 14.2% |
| 1980 | 54,836 | 14.4% |
| 1990 | 55,083 | 0.5% |
| 2001 | 56,175 | 2.0% |
| 2009 | 59,036 | 5.1% |
Sopron is a significant wine producing region, one of the few in Hungary to make both red and white wines. Grapes include Kékfrankos for red wine and Traminer (Gewürztraminer) for white wine. In climate it is similar to the neighbouring Burgenland wine region in Austria, and several winemakers make wine in both countries. Blue Frankish, Tramini, and Green Veltelini are well-known Sopron wines. Sopron's Blue Frankish and Pinot Noir wines are particularly prized.[3]
In 1910 Sopron had 33,932 inhabitants (51% German, 44.3% Hungarian, 4.7% other). Religions: 64.1% Roman Catholic, 27.8% Lutheran, 6.6% Jewish, 1.2% Calvinist, 0.3% other.[4] In 2001 the city had 56,125 inhabitants (92.8 % Hungarian, 3.5% German, 3.7% other).[5] Religions: 69% Roman Catholic, 7% Lutheran, 3% Calvinist, 8.1% Atheist, 11.9% no answer, 1% other.[6][7]
The architecture of the old section of town reflects its long history; walls and foundations from the Roman Empire are still common, together with a wealth of Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque structures, often artistically decorated, showing centuries of stability and prosperity.
There is an old synagogue and other remains from the town's former Jewish community, which was expelled in the 16th century.
On Daloshegy, there is a 165 metres tall FM-/TV-broadcasting tower, which looks like a rocket and has therefore the nickname "Rakéta" ( Hungarian for rocket).
 Main Square |
 Concert hall |
 Sopron, Marian coloums. |
 Aerial photography of Sopron |
 Sopron City Centre |
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MFC Sopron was a football team based in Sopron.
Sopron is twinned with:
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Sopron is a city in Hungary, close to the Austrian border, with a population of about 55,000. The officially bilingual town (historical German language name Ödenburg) is situated at the Amber Road, and in Roman times was named Scrabantia.
On August 19, 1989 the "Pan-European Picnic" took place near Sopron, when the "Iron Curtain" between Austria and Hungary was lifted for a few hours, allowing some hundred DDR citizens to cross the border.
By car: From Vienna, Austria on A2 until the Traiskirchen intersection, then on A3 until the Eisenstadt intersection, and on B16 to Sopron.
By train: Connected to Vienna by trains every hour, departure from Wien Südbahnhof at the top of the hour. Travel takes about one hour.
By plane: Nearest international airports are Vienna (70 km), Bratislava (70 km), and Budapest (200 km).
The city isn't large, so you can walk or buy a ticket to ride the public bus lines.
¤ Landmark of the city is the "fire tower"/"Feuerturm" (Tüztorony, Fö tér 1), with a museum of history of the city.
¤ The barock main square (Fő tér) with the City Hall, fire tower, Storno-house (museum) and main roman catholic church. In December there is a christmas market on the square (must see!)
¤ Fabricius - House (Fö tér 6) from 14th century with interior from 17th and 18th century
¤ Pharmacymuseum (Fö tér 2)
¤ Old Synagogue (Uj u. 22, end of 13th century)
¤ Várnegyed/Burgviertel (medieval city core)
¤ St. Michael Church with tower (15th century, Szent Mihály utca)
¤ Mining Museum in Palais Esterhazy.
¤ Liszt Ferenc Cultural Centre on the Széchenyi square.
¤ Buy some bottles of the famous Hungarian wine "Kékfrankos"
¤ Take a walk in the forest around the city.
¤ Drink a coffee in the café at Széchényi Tér with a view on the beautiful Liszt Ferenc Központ (Theatre and Casino).
Shopping is (still) cheaper than in neighbouring Austria.
In the city you can buy trendy clothes in the shop "Jeans Club" or you can buy clothes and other stuff in the Plaza outside of the city. There's a new shopping centre near to the border of the town, where you can find shops of various famous brands, like Benetton or New Yorker.
Lots of restaurants, predominantly Hungarian but also Viennese cuisine, frequented by Austrian daytime tourists.
Tips: Graben Restaurant on the street around the city centre, Hungarian and Austrian specialites. The restaurant has a good atmosphere.
Mediterrano: it has 3 restaurants, one of them is called "Spago". Italian food and good wines, there are mostly jounger people because of it's design.
If you're in Sopron, you have to drink a glass of the famous wine of the area around sopron, it's called "Kékfrankos".
There's also a disco in the city plaza, the "Colosso".
Sopron is close to the quarries of Fertőrákos, where in summer operas are held, and with a nice view on the Neusiedler See / Lake Fertő.
Near to the city is the Castle Esterházy in Fertőd.
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SOPRON (Ger. Oedenburg; Med. Lat. Sopronium), a town of Hungary, capital of the county of the same name, 140 m. W. of Budapest by rail. Pop. (1900), 30,628, about 60% Germans. It lies in an extensive valley enclosed on all sides by the outskirts of the Rosalien mountains, a group belonging to the eastern outliers of the Alps. In the principal square are the Benedictine church, built at the end of the 13th century and restored in the 15th century, and the town hall, completed in 1894. The Dominican church, built in 1674; the church of St Michael, in the Gothic style, completed in 1484, the most interesting church in the town; and the old tower, 200 ft. high, are all worth notice. Sopron has a thriving industry in sugar, soap, vinegar, bellfounding and machinery, and it carries on an active trade in cereals, fruit and wine. Large cattle markets are also held here. Within the county a good quality of wine is produced, especially near the little town of Ruszt (pop. 1608) and at the village of Balf (Ger., Wolfs) on the shores of the Neusiedler lake. In the neighbourhood of Sopron is the Brennberg, with extensive coal-mines. ' Sopron was a Roman colony under the name of Scarabantia. It was afterwards occupied by German settlers and became a royal free town in the 11th century. Matthias Corvinus granted the town special privileges in 1464. An important Diet of Hungarian Protestants took place here in 1681.
About 12 m. north, at the foot of the Leitha mountains, lies the town of Kismarton (Ger. Eisenstadt; pop., 2951), which contains a magnificent castle of the Esterhazy family, built in 1683 and enlarged in 1805. About 10 m. north-west lies Nagymarton (Ger. Mattersdorf; pop., 3789); and not far from it, on the frontier of Austria, the well-preserved castle of Forchtenstein, the cradle of the Esterhazy family. About 12 m. east, not far from the Neusiedler lake, lies Esterhaza, with a beautiful castle in the French Renaissance style, belonging to Count Esterhazy. About 9 m. south-east lies the village of Nagyczenk (Ger. Zinkendorff), with the castle of the Szechenyi family.
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Categories: SNA-SOR | Austria-Hungary
Sopron is a city of Hungary, located near the western border of Hungary with Austria, at the foot of the Alps, 60 km from Vienna (in Austria) and 220 km from Budapest. The people of this city are famous for their loyalty to their country, and their hometown. A famous monument is 'Gate of Faith' which is the symbol of the people's faith to Hungary in 1921.
Contents |
At the time of the Roman Empire, there was a city here called Scarbantia. The main square of Sopron is in the same place as the forum (or main square) of Roman times.
After this, the city was probably deserted. When the Hungarians arrived in the area, it was in ruins. In the 9th–11th centuries Hungarians strengthened the old Roman city walls and built a castle. The town got its Hungarian name of Sopron from a steward of the castle named Suprun. By 1153 it was an important town.
In 1273 King Otakar II of Bohemia took over the castle and took the children of Sopron's noble families as hostage. But the people of the city opened the gates when the army of King Ladislaus IV of Hungary arrived. The King Ladislaus made Sopron a free royal town.
In 1528 Hungary was invaded by Ottoman Turks who destroyed many parts of the city but did not take it over. Many people from other towns fled to Sopron for safety.
In 1676 most of the ancient buildings in the city were destroyed by a fire. When they were replaced, they were in a new style, called Baroque. Many of the Baroque buildings are standing today.
Sopron was an important town in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In the early 1900s it became part of Austria. But the townspeople were not happy with this and in December 1921 they voted that the city should be part of Hungary. Since that day the city has been called "Civitas Fidelissima", ("The Most Loyal Town" which in Hungarian is "A Leghűségesebb Város"). A holiday is held every year to celebrate.
In World War II Sopron suffered badly. It was bombed several times. There were many Jewish people living in Sopron before the war. The Nazis and their Hungarian allies sent the Jews of Sopron to death camps and killed nearly all of them, as well as other people who disagreed with Nazi ideas.
The Soviet Red Army captured the city on April 1, 1945. Sopron, as part of Hungary, was ruled by a Socialist government. At this time many factories were built around Sopron. The Socialist government took away a lot of the freedom that people had. In August 1989, in Sopron there was a big protest against the Socialist government, which was called the Pan-European Picnic. While this was happening more than 200 people who lived in East Germany (which was Socialist) escaped to the West. This was the beginning of a big change for all the Socialist countries of Europe. People who had not been allowed to travel or live in other countries were finally allowed to be free.
Hungary is now part of the European Union. Sopron now has trade with other countries, most importantly Austria. There are many German-speaking people who live in Sopron so most street signs are written in both Hungarian and German.
[[File:|thumb|Stornó House to the left, and the "Fire Tower", begun in the 1100s, and later made taller.]] The city of Sopron shows signs of its long history in its buildings. There are still walls and foundations from the Ancient Roman times and also building from the Middle Ages. The medieval Kescke Church ("Goat Church") was where coronations (crowning kings) and parliament took place. There is also a very old Jewish synagogue.
Many old buildings whose architecture are from the 1600s and 1700s and are in the Baroque style which often has a lot of decoration. Stornó House is one of the most well-known buildings, because of its elegant Baroque architecture, its connection with King Matthias and its interesting collection. There is also a famous statue of the Holy Trinity from this time. the "Várkerület" is part of the city built where the ancient moat was; The inner row of houses follow the line of the castle wall. Várkerület has a famous Maria Statue. The Town Hall built in 1896 and the Ursuline Church is an important building in the Gothic Revival style.
Sopron is popular as a holiday place because it is set in beautiful countryside where people like to walk in the hills, enjoying the pure air, the forests and mountain springs. There are many hiking paths and look-out towers. Near to Sopron is Lake Fertő. The Löverek, is a beautiful hilly area south of the city, with forests of spruce, oaks and chestnut trees. The flowers that bloom there include Lily of the Valley and cyclamens.
Sopron is a wine producing region, that is one of the few in Hungary to make both red and white wines. The grapes grown here include Kékfrankos for red wine and Traminer (Gewürztraminer) for white wine. In climate it is similar to the Burgenland wine region nearby in Austria, and several winemakers make wine in both countries.
MFC Sopron is a football team based in Sopron.
   | West-Hungarian University (University of Sopron) - Nyugat-magyarországi Egyetem: NYME v7 index |
| | Sopron nyitólapja - Sopron a hűség és a szabadság városa |
| | Link collection - Sopron.lap.hu |
| | Sopron nyitólapja - Sopron.info.hu |
| | Hotel and tourist guide - Sopron hotels Hungary. Travel guide to Sopron. |
| | Soproni Linkek - Soproni Link Tár - Minden ami Sopron - sopron.webcim.info - Linkek - Linktár - Lap - Weblap |
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