Places of interests in the neighborhood
Bük offers all kinds of possibilities for spending holiday: tennis, horse riding, bowling, golf, etc. There are well-known historical cities in the neighborhood, such as Sopron, Kőszeg, Fertőd and Szombathely. There are several famous sights and cultural programs to make your stay more memorable.
Bük:
This city has a population of 3500 people, located between the hillsides of the Alps (Alpokalja) and the small plain (Kisalföld) at the northwestern part of county Vas. The present day village was established in 1902 from the lower, the middle and the upper part of Bük. Middle-Bük was established at the era of Arpad Kings, here a historic church was built in Romanesque style. Lower- and upper Bük was a settlement of manors. There is one castle highlighted form the existing manor buildings, which mansion was built by the Felső-büki Nagy family (today used as pension). Well known member of this family was Mr. Paul Felső-büki Nagy, a famous parliamentary orator. Today town Bük is known for its medicinal, world famous spa, thanks for a lucky accident. In the early 50's, people drilled for oil, but found mineral thermal water at the border of the town. The thermal bath has been open since 1962, only seasonally in the early years, but for now there are 33 pools, the surface of water takes 6000 square meters, in a very nice landscape in 18 hectares. This Spa provides an excellent wellness for the guests. Its thermal pumps bring curative power of alkaline hydrogen carbonate on the temperature of 55°C, and also contents fluoride, iodide and iron in significant amount. Bath cure applies for rheumatic and orthopedic illnesses. Using as inhalation is good for respiratory catarrhs. All the guests can enjoy the local cuisine and special restaurants of Bük and the golf resort with 18 holes, as many of outdoor programs and musical performances during their stay. There are over 10000 places to stay ranging from the five-star hotel, private houses to the campsites. Three lakes and river Répce provide good experience for anglers and there are very nice forests on the hills for hunters and riders as well.
Sopron:
Sopron lies at the foot of the Alps, just off the western border of Hungary, 60 kms of Vienna and 220 kms of Budapest. It is referred as one of the oldest treasure of the country. The city unites the present and the past. It also functions as a bridge between Hungary and its western neighbors, and as a gateway for both the foreign and the Hungarian visitors. The cultural traditions of Sopron are as old as 70 years, dating back to the time which was called the Golden Age of the town’s cultural history. The wonderful natural surroundings, the fresh, healing Alpine air, the walks in the woody mountains, the lookout towers, the spring-waters, the vicinity of Lake Fertő make Sopron one of the greatest and most beautiful resorts of Hungary. The symbol of Sopron is the Fire Tower. The bottom of it, which was built on the remains of Roman walls, functioned as the northern gate tower of the walls, surrounding the town from the 13th century onwards. Its present shape, however, and its baroque style balcony, as well as the helmet of the tower, were formed after the great fire of 1676. The so-called Storno-house is one of the most wonderful buildings of Sopron. It is actually a palace-like corner-house, decorating the main square of the town. It used to belong to the Haberleiter family in the 15th century, who entertained even King Matthias in their home, in the winter of 1482-83, while he was besieging Vienna.
Kőszeg:
As Annamária Joó puts it: “There is a little town lying at the western border of Hungary which prides itself on a special atmosphere where all the houses can tell us stories of the past and the bells toll also at 11 o’clock every Sunday in memory of the defeat over the Turks. We set off to see the pride of Kőszeg with our own eyes and to take a pleasant walk in the streets and squares of the town full of historic buildings.”
Walks and hikes from Kőszeg
A walk to the Saint Vid Chapel (approx. 800 meters, 30 minutes). Sights: the terrace system of the settlement of the Bronze Ages, the Saint Vid Chapel, the foundations of the Roman watch-tower.
A walk to the Old House lookout tower (approx. 4 kms, 2 hours). Sights: the view of the Natural Park including Kőszeg, the reconstruction of the tower of the castle built under Árpád (Admission is charged, tickets are available at the lookout tower.)
A walk to the Sevenspring (approx. 4 kms, 2.5 hours). Sights: the spring abounding in water, the view of Austria.
A walk to the Styrian Houses (approx. 6 kms, 3 hours). Sights: the Hörmann Spring, the Styrian Houses (Museum of Forestry), botanical garden. (Admission is charged in the museum)
A walk to the Written Stone lookout tower (approx. 5 kms, 2.5 hours. Sights: wonderful views. (The entrance of the lookout tower is on the Austrian side, passport might be claimed!)
Fertőd:
The biggest baroque-style building of Hungary, which competes with other European residences of the 18th century, can be found in Fertőd, the original name of which was Eszterháza. The Esterházy Castle, also called the ’Versailles of Hungary’, is ranked as one of the most beautiful castles of the country. Its heyday was between 1768 and 1790. J. Haydn (1732-1809), who was the last composer of royal courts, spent nearly two decades in the castle, serving Duke Miklós Esterházy, who supported arts and cultures and he also led a luxurious life.
Szombathely:
The complex of open air recreation and swimming pools (called Tófürdő) are to be found in the most beautiful part of Szombathely, in a greenbelt area, next to the Boating Lake and the campsite. The bath, which was modernized in the recent years awaits those longing for sunshine and swimming. It is open from May. Following a nice swim, the visitors of the city are offered numerous interesting programs and sights. The historical, cultural and natural treasures of Szombathely are all worth a visit. The remains of the ancient Savaria, as it used to be called, can be seen in the Ruin Garden (Romkert). In this area discovered by archeologists, the Emperor’s Palace, (which is supposed to be the greatest attraction of Romkert), the public bath, the customhouse, the Mercurius’ Sanctuary as well as workshops, potters’ stoves, remains of roads from the Roman times and mosaics may be observed. The next spot to see could be the Sala Terra, found on the ground floor of the Episcopal Palace. This is the first museum of Hungary where engraved stones dating back to the Roman Times, collected by Bishop János Szily are on display. The Museum Savaria, which provides unique collections from various historical eras, is also worth a visit. The sights of Szombathely: Ruin Garden, Iseum, Town Hall, Episcopal Palace, (Sala Terrana), Cathedral, Divinity School, Diocesan Library, Eölbey’s house, Synagogue, Saint Elisabeth’s Franciscan Church, Saint Marton’s Dominic Church, Open-air Museum, Boating Lake, Botanic Gardens of Kámon, the Savaria Museum, the Smidt Museum, the Picture Gallery and the Historic Park in the Franciscan Garden.
The event of greatest significance, the Savaria Historic Carnival, is organized every August.
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