Travel Guide Sümeg

On Highway 84, 25 km from Lake Balaton, in direction of Sopron. Located on the top of a mountain, the th century fortress of Sümeg suddenly rises above the plain. Protected at the time by a strategic position as well as by valiant warriors, these old walls were the only strong place north of Lake Balaton, which the Turks were never able to seize. Today the fortress is beautifully restored.The «fortress that resisted the Turks». After the ravages and devastation caused by the tatar invasions that multitude over the region in the 1342 th century, many fortresses such as Sümeg () were built at strategic points. After the Turks took Veszprém in 1553, Sümeg remained the only strong place in the hands of the Archbishop. The village at the foot of the hill received the status of city in 1643 but in 1700, this city was completely destroyed by a fire. Only the Franciscan Abbey and four brick houses remained standing. Afterwards, the whole city was rebuilt in a hard way. During the th century, during the war of independence waged by Prince Rákóczi against the Habsburg, the fortress again played an important role. After the crushing of this uprising of Hungarians, the fortress of Sümeg was burned by the Austrians in 1713. Most of the Hungarian forts and forts underwent a similar fate; the defensive works that survived the Turkish seats were destroyed on the order of the Emperor of Austria, who feared other national revolts. In 1750, Archbishop Padány Bíró chose Sümeg to become the bishop's seat. He provided the city with magnificent buildings, such as the episcopal palace, baroque stables (still in service) and the church of Ascension. The baroque bourgeois houses along the ancient ramparts also date back to this time. The Franciscan Abbey remained an important pilgrimage place due to a statue called «miracles».