Sopron

Sopron (pronounced "shop-ron"; German: Ödenburg, Croatian: Šopron, Latin: Scarbantia) is a city in Hungary, close to the Austrian border, with a population of about 62,000 (2017). The town is officially bilingual, and its historical German language name is Ödenburg.

History
When this area was the Pannonia Superior province of the Roman Empire, the city's name was Scarbantia. Its main square was then the forum. During the period of mass migration the once prosperous Scarbantia declined to become a lifeless city of ruins; a new settlement was created here only after the Hungarians took over the territory. Hungarians strengthened the old Roman city walls and built a castle. The town was named in Hungarian after a castle steward named Suprun. In 1273 King Otakar II of Bohemia occupied the castle. Even though he took the children of Sopron's nobility with him as hostages, the city opened its gates when the armies of King Ladislaus IV of Hungary arrived. The king rewarded Sopron by elevating it to the rank of free royal town. In 1529 the Turks devastated the city, but it did not fall under Turkish domination. Many Hungarians fled from the occupied areas to Sopron, and the city's importance grew.

While the Ottomans occupied most of central Europe, the region north of lake Balaton remained in the Kingdom of Hungary (1538–1867). In 1676 Sopron was destroyed by a fire. The modern-day city was born in the next few decades, when Baroque buildings were built to replace the destroyed medieval ones. Sopron became the seat of the comitatus Sopron. Until 1918, the town (bilingual names Oedenburg - Sopron) was part of the Austrian monarchy, province of Hungary; in Transleithania after the compromise of 1867 in the Kingdom of Hungary. Following the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, after local unrest, Sopron's status as part of Hungary (along with that of the surrounding eight villages) was decided by a controversial, local plebiscite held on December 14, 1921, with 65% voting for Hungary. Since then Sopron has been called Civitas Fidelissima ("The Most Loyal Town"), and the anniversary of the plebiscite is a city holiday. Sopron suffered greatly during World War II and it was bombed several times. The Soviet Red Army captured the city on April 1, 1945. On August 19, 1989 the "Pan-European Picnic" took place near Sopron, when the "Iron Curtain" between Austria and Hungary was lifted for a few hours, allowing some hundred East German citizens to cross the border.

Orientation

 * After being suppressed during the Cold War, Sopron's German-speaking culture and heritage are now recognized again. As a consequence, many of the city's street-and traffic-signs are written in both Hungarian and German making it an officially bilingual city due to its proximity to the Austrian frontier.

By plane

 * Nearest international airports are Vienna (65 km) and Bratislava (100 km).

By car

 * From Vienna, Austria on A2 until the Traiskirchen intersection, then on A3 until the Eisenstadt intersection, and on B16 to Sopron.

By bus

 * , to Budapest no direct bus (first you must to go Székesfehérvár or Veszprém or with a longer detour to Hévíz or Szombathely 5-7 hours, train is much better).

By train
Sopron is located within the Vienna regional tariff union, so if you have a ticket or travelcard covering the entire network, you can use it to travel to Sopron (but not other Hungarian towns served by suburban trains).

Get around

 * The city isn't large, so you can walk or buy a ticket to ride the public bus lines. Prices (2014). Tickets: Ft 320 in advance, from driver Ft 390. Passes: Ft 6900 per month, Ft 4,300 semimonthly, Ft 2250 per seven-day, Ft 780 per a daily ticket. Local season ticket and single tickets can buy at Volan Tourist Travel Agency (address: Lackner Kristóf utca) or without queuing, 24/7, from a ticket vending machine, (located in the city ten points.)
 * Sopron parking based on three zones. Parking map here. Paying with cash, chipcard or mobile. City center closed for cars (except with special permisson).
 * Sopron taxis list here.
 * Getting around the city centre by bike.
 * Getting around the city centre by bike.
 * Getting around the city centre by bike.

Do

 * Buy some bottles of the famous Hungarian wine "Kékfrankos"
 * Take a walk in the forest around the city.
 * Drink a coffee in the café at Széchényi Tér with a view on the beautiful Liszt Ferenc Központ (Theatre and Casino).

Events

 * Festival Weeks - Concerts in the Cave Theatre in Fertőrákos.
 * Early Music Festival
 * Choral Festivals
 * Spring Days
 * Pan-European Picnic

Buy
Shopping is cheaper than in neighbouring Austria.

In the city you can buy trendy clothes in the shop "Jeans Club" or you can buy clothes and other stuff in the Plaza outside of the city. There's a new shopping centre near to the border of the town, where you can find shops of various famous brands, like Benetton or New Yorker.

Restaurants
Lots of restaurants, predominantly Hungarian but also Viennese cuisine, frequented by Austrian daytime tourists.

Drink
If you're in Sopron, you have to drink a glass of the famous wine of the area around sopron, it's called "Kékfrankos".

Connect

 * The country code of Hungary is 36. If you are calling abroad from a land line, dial 00 before your country code and phone number. Area code of Sopron is 99. Phone numbers are normally six digits.
 * Cellular phone coverage is very good throughout the city. Three different networks are available, Telenor, T-Mobile and Vodafone.

Internet

 * Most hotels do also have wireless free Internet access. Even a smaller accommodation have any (slower) free Wi-Fi.

Go next

 * Fertő Lake (Neusiedl Lake) is divided between Austria and Hungary. It is the second largest lake of Hungary after Balaton. Fertő Lake has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as a cultural landscape for its unique representation of human landscape shaping over a long period of time. The traditional agricultural practices around the lake, many of which persist today, had a profound impact on the region's ecology. The area is rural and attracts visitors enjoying the natural landscape as well as the historic towns surrounding it. - There is no any town or bigger settlement on Hungarian side. - Tours organizing from Sopron. For more info ask in Sopron Turist Office.
 * Transdanubia, particularly Győr, Keszthely, Kőszeg, Szombathely - all good connected by public transport and good for a base to explore the surrounding area
 * Burgenland, Austria.