Virtual-Countries.com: Sopron

Discover the medieval town of Sopron

Just a short train ride from the romantic city of Vienna, you will find Sopron. Though the town is Hungarian, it is situated near the Austrian border and often visitors make good use of this fact. The area where Sopron now stands has been inhabited since for hundreds, if not thousands of years. During the time when most of Europe fell under the control of the Roman Empire, Sopron was a city called Scarbantia. The forum of that ancient city now lies under Sopron's main square.

By the 9th century, Scarbantia had been deserted. The Migration Period saw a number of Hungarians arrive in the area and begin to settle here. They strengthened what was left of the city and built a castle. It was these settlers who named their new home after Suprun the castle steward. By the 1100s, Sopron was already an important town. Over the next few centuries, Sopron underwent many changes. In one moment it was being ravaged by the Ottoman Turks, in another it's numbers were increasing from the influx of refugees. Much of it's medieval and Roman appearance was destroyed in the fire of 1676 and the city took on a more Baroque appearance. War came and large parts of the city were destroyed yet again. Sopron recovered and, only a short time later, it became an attractive place for tourists to visit.

Today Sopron has two main attractions - its large wine producing region and its amazing architectural legacy. The Sopron area is one of the few wine producing regions in Hungary to make both red and white wines. It enjoys a climate similar to that of the Burgenland wine region in Austria and you can be sure that a tour of this fantastic region will include plenty of wine tasting opportunities. The walls and foundations in the old section of Sopron date back to the Roman Empire and are part of the original foundations which were laid here. Combine this with the wealth of Medieval, Baroque and Renaissance architecture that is present in the city and you will find plenty of great buildings to photograph and learn about. Why not spend a short while in this city? It is easy to book a flight to Sopron or even to organize car hire in Sopron. You may find it was just the destination you were looking for.