Gyor trip
The city of Gyor, Hungary is usually thought of nothing more than just a big industrial city with a rather funny name. And none of those statements can really be denied considering that the city’s name is pronounced something akin to “jyeur” and that it is a major producer of trucks, rolling stock and textiles, and is in fact Hungary’s third-largest industrial centre.
However it should be noted that this is also a city very rich in history, actually when you thing about it you’ll notice that it is only surpassed by the capital, Budapest, and Sopron in regards of the numbers of important buildings and monuments.
The majority of the attractions and architecture are to be found in the Baroque city centre, which you can reach by walking about a hundred metres up the lovely cobbled pedestrian street Baross Gabor ut. Once you reach the center, you’ll feel like you traveled back in time to the 17th and 18th centuries, being surrounded by wonderful examples of architecture and a particular kind of atmosphere.
Depending on how you reach the city, if it happens to be via train, once you come out of the railway station you’ll be able to see the City Hall, a beautiful Neoclassical building. It was built after an Italian design and has been in constant use ever since the sixteenth century. The building looks like a palace, with all its arched windows, detailed stonework and stone columns, and also the relatively recently Italian marble paved square it features. The square also features two identical baroque gardens.
A much older building that is still standing is the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary, a triple-aisled Romanesque building which was finished in the 11th century. The initial church was destroyed and rebuilt several times, the current version having been built between 1639 and 1645.
The Bishop’s Castle can be found opposite the Cathedral, and has been a symbol of the region’s Christianity ever since it’s construction. This was actually the residence of Bishop Kalman, the son of King Charles Robert of Anjou – the Bishop’s coat-of-arms still adorn the front of the tower.
