Eger

Eger: Dóbo Square as seen from the Castle. The Minorite Church is most prominently visible; the towers of the Basilica are in the background.

The other weekend I went to Eger, a small and lovely city. Between its architecture, history, turkish baths, and vineyards, this is a place where you can really enjoy life. I have quite a few photos so I think I will break this into a few posts.

One of Eger's claims to fame is its repulsion of a Turkish siege in 1552, with István Dóbo as the commander of the castle. The women of Eger are famous for having helped win this battle and are the subject of various patriotic paintings. Another famous anecdote from the battle is that the Hungarian defenders drank red wine to bolster their courage and when the Turks saw their beards stained red a rumor flew around that the Hungarians had been drinking bulls' blood. Hence the name of the famous "Bikavér" or "Bulls' Blood" wine from this region.

Anyway, the whole castle was pretty much destroyed in 1552 and then rebuilt and reinforced; but not well enough apparently, because it fell to a second Turkish siege in 1592 and was ruled by the Turks for a century, later being retaken by the Austrians.

Evening yellows... the image below show some sort of Jesuit college. I love the light on the baroque ornaments.

Dóbo square by evening and morning. The squat walls and towers in the background are the castle--more of a fortified hill than a fairy tale palace.

The Basilica and the Minorite Church -- to be shown in greater detail in future posts

The "Szépasszonyvölgy" or Valley of the Beautiful Women--the wine-growing area just outside Eger