Walk to literary memorial sites

1. Former secondary school, Jurisics M. tér GPS: 47.3898026307668 / 16.540716769744378

One can walk towards the castle along Rájnis street. József Rájnis was a key figure of Hungarian culture in the 18th century. He was born in Kőszeg in 1741 and completed his education at the Jesuit secondary school in the town. As one of Ferenc Kazinczy’s friends, he was a prominent figure in the language reform movement. He is considered to be the father of the so-called prosodic debate, which is one of the most significant literary and linguistic debates of that time. His hometown is evoked in many of his poems.

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Operating since 1677, the secondary school was founded and built by Bishop György Széchényi. He also endowed a foundation of 60,000 forints to maintain the school. The building was designed by Pietro Orsolini, who supervised the construction until its completion in 1680. Students were taught by Jesuit priests until 1773, by Piarists from 1777 to 1815, and finally by the Benedictines from 1815 to 1948. In the second half of the 19th century it was converted into a four-grade secondary school and then in 1908 an eight-grade school. Then a new building was constructed. The old school building was demolished. Its former place can be seen in the inner town. On the walls of the quarter house are memorial plaques to commemorate the school’s renowned teachers and students, and Count Kristóf Niczky, who kept the school in Kőszeg under the rule of Jospeh II.

2. Town Well, Jurisics M. tér GPS: 47.389054 / 16.540806

The starting point of the walk is the centre of the inner town, in the square named after Miklós Jurisics. Standing at the Town Well, one can admire the Sgrafitto house at number 7. On the façade of the impressive building, a Latin quotation can be read (“Non est volentis neque currentis, sed miserentis Dei”) from the epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans. This sentence is the title of two chapters of the novel School at the Frontier written by Géza Ottlik. Géza Ottlik was a student in Kőszeg from 1923 and 1926 and he wrote his memories in his book, which is well-known all over Europe.

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The former town well stands on the Jurisics square. In 1766 ordered the Magistrat to renew the former chain-well. The Zopf style, proportionate well-house originally was closed, with windowlike openings. It was rebuilt in classicist style in 1818-1824. Drinking installation was renewed in 2011. Plans for a musical well has been prepared.

3. István Kincs plaque, Jurisics M. tér (St. Emeric’s Church) GPS: 47.389194 / 16.540558

The memorial plaque of the former abbot, István Kincs, can be found on the wall of St. Emeric’s Church, between St. James’ Church and St. Emeric’s Church. Many of Kincs’ literary works, including his short stories and novels, are related to Kőszeg and the neighbourhood. He was a nationally renowned writer of 20th-century Hungarian literature.

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The Church was built between 1615-1618 from the donations of the citizens to serve the Hungarian protestant community. It was given over to the catholics in 1673. As concerning the Saint Emmerich titel, it was given in 1703 by the Wienerneustadter bishop. After the arrival of the Jesuits, it became the parish church of Kőszeg for more then 100 years. The building is of gothicizing style, willingly figuring the elements of the neighbouring Saint James church. The main altar owns a Saint Emmerich painting, with St. Petrus and St. Paulus beside, while on the two sides of the Altar the two Hungarian royal saints, St. Stephanus (also the father of Emmerich) and St. Ladislaus are standing. The Altar is the work of Stephan Dorfmeister, the younger. Today, the Church stays under the care of the Croatian Community Government of Kőszeg.

4. St. James’ Church, Jurisics M. tér GPS: 47.389406 / 16.540378

St. James’ Church might be the site of fiction and reality. The Crypt most certainly is the resting place of a literary heroine. Mária Széchy is the main character of the 17th and18th-century bestseller Murányi Venus written by István Gyöngyössy. The baroque epic poem was published in 1664 and then again in 1704. It is about the noble marriage of Palatine Ferenc Wesselényi and Mária Széchy. After exposing the Wesselényi conspiracy and the death of the palatine, Mária Széchy was exiled to Kőszeg, where she died in 1679.

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The current Saint James Church was built on the turn of the 14th & 15th centuries. It carries both gothic and baroque charachteristics, and was built on the site of former cloister and church ruined at the end of the 13th century. The headstone shows the coat of arms of the historical Garai family. At times of the reformation, first the german and hungarian communities used the church together as parish-church of the town. Later it belonged only to the german community, while the Hungarian-language lutheran community built and visited the neighbouring Saint Emmerich Church.

At the time of counter-reformation, the jesuit order was settled into Kőszeg and received the Church by the Habsburg court. Later it went to the piarist, then to the benedictine order. In 1653 the protestants ruined its medieval altars. The baroque main facade was installed after the firestorm in 1700. In 1937 the valuable medieval frescoes of the Maria in Mantel, the Saint Christophorus and the Three Kings were found. The Maria sculpture standing ont he main altar is originated from the 15-15th century. The church gave place to the burial of reknown historical families. Among others, the two young children of Nicolaus Jurisich, Captain against the great Ottoman Siege were also buried here.

5. Faludi Ferenc emléktáblája, Rájnis J. u. 2. (Benedictine monastic quarters – Ferenc Faludi plaque) GPS: 47.389596 / 16.540142

József Rájnis’ beloved teacher, Ferenc Faludi, was born in Németújvár in 1704. He was ten years old when he first attended secondary school in Kőszeg, and then from 1751 to 1754 he worked as a rector of the Jesuit secondary school. His literary work started with translations, and then in his old age, he completed his manuscript of 42 poems, which Sándor Weöres considered to be the start of modern Hungarian literature.

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This house and the adjacent secondary school were the largest buildings in the inner town. It was built as a Jesuit monastery according to the Italian Pietro Orsolini’s plans. After dissolution the order, Piarist and Benedictine monks lived in the building. After expulsion of the Benedictines, the house was turned into apartments and then in 1950, it became the seat of the new Kőszeg District Council. The institution was out of operation for a long time, as the district was broken off and connected to Szombathely’s district in 1954.

The Benedictines regained its ownership in 1990; however, it is used by the Society of the Divine Word at present.

6. Torkos House, Chernel K. u. 2. GPS: 47.389142 / 16.539630

Poet László Torkos was born in 1839 in Kőszeg and died in 1939 in Budapest. He was a member of the Kisfaludy Society and later of the Petőfi Society. He actively took part in the Hungarian literary life of the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. He published poems, aesthetic writings and poetic writings.

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The so-called “Torkos House” was built in the Middle Ages and restored in the 18th century in the Baroque style. During its history, the modest house had plenty of interesting owners, from craftsmen to noble families. Among its owners we can find poet László Torkos, who was granted the Honour Citizen Award at the age of 100.

7. Festetics-Chernel Palace, Chernel K. u. 10. GPS: 47.388838 / 16.539380

Although István Chernel is primarily known as a scientist, he wrote many poems, most of which remained unpublished manuscripts. He started to write his poems as a student. In his works he confesses his feelings about the world he lived in and his hometown.

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The Chernel family owned this magnificent building until nationalization. On the site of Chernel or Festetics Palace, two smaller houses stood at the beginning of the 17th century under the ownership of Count Nádasdy’s family. They were joined by József Kelcz, lawyer of the Transdanubian District Board and the later chancellor. The house was rebuilt in 1766 in the Baroque style. It was purchased by Count Imre Festetics after his resignation from the army in 1802. Today he is considered to be the father of genetics. Ownership of the premises passed to Chernel family through marriage. They owned the building until its nationalization.

8. Cemetery, Temető u. 5.

We can find the burial place of Ágota Kristóf in the town’s cemetery. She was born in 1935 and became known as Agota Kristof in Switzerland with her works in French. She spent her childhood in Kőszeg, which inspired her most prominent works. After World War II she spent 11 years in the town with her family. The story of one of her greatest novels, The Notebook, is set in the town. The writer died in 2011 in Switzerland, and according to her will she was buried in the cemetery in Kőszeg.

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Returning to the inner town we can find the burial place of Ágota Kristóf in the town’s cemetery. She was born in 1935 and became known as Agota Kristof in Switzerland with her works in French. She spent her childhood in Kőszeg, which inspired her most prominent works. After World War II she spent 11 years in the town with her family. The story of one of her greatest novels, The Notebook, is set in the town. The writer died in 2011 in Switzerland, and according to her will she was buried in the cemetery in Kőszeg.

9. Jesus’ Heart Church, Fő tér GPS: 47.387899 / 16.540970

Leaving the walls of the historic inner town, one can see the tower of Sacred Heart Church. In the church is the memorial plaque of László Székely, who was the abbot in Kőszeg after István Kincs. László Székely was born in 1894 in Budapest and moved to Kőszeg in 1938. He was a prominent figure of literary life in Vas County and he was one of the founders of Faludi Ferenc Literary Society in Szombathely. He published poems and children’s books, and was Sándor Weöres’ close friend, which is known from their surviving correspondence.

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The neogothic historicizing Church with its 57 m tower is the highest building in town. Building works started in 1892 following the plans of Ludwig Schöne. Kőszeg has grown by the early 19th century, so a new and larger parish church was needed. In 1849 Johannes Győri local vicar dedicated most of his wealth to a new parish church. Presents and donations were collected for decades. Baron Phillip Schey, who donated the new Synagoge and the Lutheran church of the neighbouring city Szombathely, gave strong support to the initiatve. The site was bought in 1889: three former buldings, among them the Golden Crown Inn was buoght and ruined. Bulding works started in 1892 following the plans of Ludwig Schöne, the well known viannese architect of the age.

The 57m tower of the neogothic building is the highest manmade point in town. The tower can be visited twice a year, among the other hidden treasures of Kőszeg – end of March, and end of September. The majestic colourful inner painting of the church are due to Otto Kott, viannese master. He used more than 10.000 eggs for the paint! The furnishing is also valuable. Especially beautiful are the radiating stained-glass windows. Patron Saints of the donating families can be seen, among them almost a full pantheon of the Hungarian Saints. The Organ is the work of brother Rieger and was installed in 1894

10. Millrace, Kiss J. u. vége GPS: 47.391438 / 16.546646

The school is separated from the town by Gyöngyös Stream and the Millrace. Stopping on the bridge we can recall memories of Imre Kőszegi, who was born in 1903 in Kőszeg. He is primarily known as an author of juvenile historical books, which were inspired by Kőszeg and its history. One of the scenes in his novel Honour of Students is the Millrace.

11. Dr. Nagy László EGYMI (former Military School), Kiss J. u. 31. GPS: 47.392739 / 16.549048

If you leave Sacred Heart Church and have a look at the Golden Ostrich Hotel on the right, you can enter the scene of the novel School at the Frontier. In the novel, one of the main characters, Gábor Medve’s mother, spends a few nights in the hotel. If we start to walk towards Dr. Nagy László EGYMI, the former Matthias Hunyadi Military School, we walk on the same way as Medve did in his mind in his diary. Géza Ottlik was a student of the school from 1923 to 1926 and his novel School at the Frontier was inspired by the years he spent there. In the building complex we can find the scenes of the novel, including among others the canteen, the former chapel, and the hospital. Walking in the surrounding park, we can feel the atmosphere by which the novel was inspired.

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In 1853, construction began on a building modeled on the cavalry barracks, in which the military higher education institution began operations in 1856. From the 19th century onwards, the institution played an important role on a permanent basis to this day. If you leave Sacred Heart Church and have a look at the Golden Ostrich Hotel on the right, you can enter the scene of the novel School at the Frontier. In the novel, one of the main characters, Gábor Medve’s mother, spends a few nights in the hotel. If we start to walk towards Dr. Nagy László EGYMI, the former Matthias Hunyadi Military School, we walk on the same way as Medve did in his mind in his diary. Géza Ottlik was a student of the school from 1923 to 1926 and his novel School at the Frontier was inspired by the years he spent there. In the building complex we can find the scenes of the novel, including among others the canteen, the former chapel, and the hospital. Walking in the surrounding park, we can feel the atmosphere by which the novel was inspired.

The construction of this building started in 1853, and in 1856 a military boarding school started to operate. In 1875 it was reorganised as a military school, providing officers for the Imperial Army. The institution was overtaken by the Hungarian Army in 1918. After the Treaty of Trianon, military education continued in the building, which then was named after Matthias Hunyadi. In 1945, the school was relocated to Germany, and the buildings were occupied by the Hungarian Army. Until 1956 a Soviet military hospital operated on the premises. The National School for Children with Special Needs was established in 1958. The present name of the school is Dr. Nagy László EGYMI.