Pannonhalma, Sopron, Győr - Western Hungary
10 Hours
Leaving Budapest to the North-West, 120 kilometres far we arrive at Pannonhalma. The Arch abbey of Pannonhalma was founded in 996. Father of the state founder, Prince Géza, who selected the location for the Benedictine monks, and his son, Saint Stephen were convinced that the great bishop of Tours, Saint Martin was born near "Mons Sacer" or "Sacred Mountain". That was the reason for granting the holy hill of Pannonia to the monks arriving from Bohemia. The monastery is held to be the "national cradle" of Hungarian Christianity and European culture. The Arch abbey is the only example of a classical monastery layout following Benedictine traditions which has been preserved in perfect condition. There are Romanesque, early and late Gothic and Renaissance elements in the minster. The library with 300,000 books is the biggest Benedictine collection in the world. The Arch abbey’s Archive treasures several valuable documents; the most known one is the deed of foundation of Tihany Abbey dating from 1055 which is the earliest written record of the Hungarian language. The Arch abbey has a great collection of artefacts; paintings, prints, coins, antiquities and treasures as well as a protected botanical garden. In 1996 UNESCO placed the abbey on the list of World Heritage sites as being of universal value. The abbey, one of the most ancient canonical places in Hungary, has intensive religious life and education still today. Pope John Paul II was also invited here to celebrate its 1000th anniversary.
After the guided tour in Pannonhalma, we leave for the next town: Sopron, situated close to the Austrian border of Hungary, at the foot of the Alps, surrounded by pine woods and vineyards producing fine wines. Sopron, named Scarbantia by the Romans, was in important station on the Ivy Road cutting through Europe in a north-south direction. Today it is called as the Most Faithful City - a title what Sopron proudly bears since it voted to remain part of Hungary as a result of the referendum held in 1921 that was an outcome of the World War I peace treaty. After arrival we invite you for lunch, and then your guide takes you for a historical walk. Sopron merges past and present in itself. The most famous sights are: the so called Goat Church that provided a venue for coronations and parliamentary sessions. The Holy Trinity Statue is a masterpiece of the Hungarian baroque, while the neo-gothic Ursuline Church is one of the most impressive architectural monuments of the 19th century. The castle district was built along the former moat, its inner row of Gothic houses follow the line of the former castle wall. A gem of the district is the statue of Holy Mary. There is no other city in Hungary that has survived the Turkish wars without damage. The town has been presented with the "Europa Nostra" prize, because of its wealth in historical monuments.
On the way back to Budapest the last town to see is Győr, the "City of rivers", sitting at the confluence of the Danube, Rába and Rábca rivers. Called Arabona in Roman times, it was an important centre of Pannonia. After the capital, it is the second richest town in historic buildings and had won Europe-award for the protection of the historic buildings, in acknowledgment of the reconstruction of the Baroque centre of the town. Churches, palaces, museums, characteristic corner-balconies and narrow lanes, all reminders of a historic past, invite visitors to take a walk in the atmospheric centre of the town. Romantic cabled stone streets surround the former castle, which has later been converted into the bishop’s palace.