Eger lies where the Bükk and the Mátra Hills meet. The castle, which was defended by heroic warriors during the European conquests of the Turks, offers an excellent view of the town, which carefully preserves the many witnesses of its long history "engraved in stone." Among them is the minaret, recalling the Turkish occupation, which is the northernmost monument of the Moslem conquest in Europe. There are also the richly ornamented palaces of the baroque age; the cathedral, the classicist masterpiece of architecture, the third largest traditional church building in the country, symbolising the important ecclesiastical role of the town, and the Lyceum, one of the most elegant institutions of higher education in Hungary, referring to the cultural significance of Eger. The pride of its library is the first printed Hungarian book, the Chronicle of Buda, 1473.

The genuine mountain town of Szilvásvárad, along the stream, is the home of the famous Lippizaner stud of the high-lands. The remarkable monument of the church of the Cistercian abbey with the ornamented facade, the only remaining piece of Cistercian Romanesque architecture in Hungary, perfectly biends in with the natural setting.

The city of Miskolc on the eastern slopes of the Bükk Hills is one of the most important industrial centres of Hungary, however clear waters of the Szinva Creek winding through the city; Avas Hill, with its rows of wine cellars extending to the streets; and the romantic parks lend a pleasant atmosphere to the place. The Calvinist Church of Avas is one of the most significant monuments of the late gothic style in the country. The most precious monuments of the city include the Greek Orthodox church built in the 18^th century, preserving the memory of the Greek merchants who have settled in the area. Its iconostasis is one of the most beautifully decorated partition screens in Hungary. The castle of four corner bastions stands in Diósgyőr, now part of Miskolc, which flourished in the 14^th century, during the time of Louis I, the Great. Another part of town, Lillafüred, is a climatic holiday area. There are hot springs supporting the thermal spa, cave baths, and the lake at Miskolctapolca, the famous holiday resort. It is worth stopping several times on the road leading to Aggtelek National Park from Miskolc. The tourist attraction of the little village of Boldva along the Bódva stream, is the 12^th century fortified Benedictine abbey with a wooden gallery. It was in this monastery where the Pray Codex was written around 1200, which contains The Eulogy, the first recorded coherent text of the Hungarian language.

Salgótarján lies between the Karancs-Medves Hills and the north-western slopes of the Mátra. The area has been inhabited since the beginning of the Middle Ages. The museum of the mining town, preserves the memories of the most significant local industry the mine railway and machinery. The ruins of the castle of Salgó speak of the past on the basalt mound rising over Salgóbánya. The tribe of Tarján settled in the area in the time of the Invading Magyars, hence the name of the town.

The richest and most spectacular geological and palaeontological site of Hungary was discovered about four kilometres from nearby Ipolytarnóc.

We can already feel the "breeze" of the Mátra Hills in the small town of Pásztó, famous for its monuments. The remains of a 12^th century abbey's church and cloister can be found among the ruins in front of the former Cistercian monastery, which functions as the Muscum of the History of the Region. The Schoolmaster's house, built in the 15^th century also functions as a rnuseum.

A friendly little town of the lower Mátra Hills is Hatvan. its famous spectacle is the Grassalkovich Palace, built in the 18^th century.

The church of Vizsoly, with Romanesque and Gothic propertics, preserves a valuable cultural relic: the original of the first complete Hungarian Bible translation, the Károli Bible, published in this place in 1590, is kept here. After seeing the town of Gönc, famous for the 136 litre "Gönc barrel," made by local coopers, and the Hussite House, built in the first half of the 15th century; Hollóháza, home of the famous porcelain industry; the Castle of Füzér, standing alone on a mountain top; and numerous other interesting sights, one arrives in Sátoraljaújhely. The Kazinczy Ferenc Museum illustrates the town's history. The town with a friendly atmosphere is made even more attrattive by the mountain ski and sledge slopes in winter.

^TOP