Gyongyos

The historic centre of the city known for its wine culture is famous for its remarkable 18th-19th-century architectural heritage. The mountain resorts of Mátraháza and Mátrafüred belonging to the city are the starting points for hiking tours. In the winter ski centres operate there.

According to archaeological finds, Gyöngyös and its region was already inhabited before the Settlement of the Magyars in Hungary. Due to its outstanding geographical assets, as early as the late 11th century it developed significantly.

After the Mongol invasion the Csobánka family owned the area. They built a fortress in the settlement of Várbérce next to today's Mátrafüred. Only the ruins of the former stronghold remain visible today.

Gyöngyös was considered to be a city of the sultan during the Turkish occupation. Its culture and economy was outstanding as a result. The Franciscan monastery has the only surviving heritage library dating from the Middle Ages in Hungary. Its collection was already significant in the 16th century.

The development of the city toward the end of the 19th-century may be attributed to its viticulture. The wine culture of the region is flourishing today.

Experiencing an upswing in development in the 1930's which continued to the end of the millenium the Mátra became one of the centres of a healthy tourist industry. The small narrow-gauge railway is still transporting tourists from Gyöngyös to Mátrafüred each day as it has since 1927.

Some of the best-known resorts of the Mátra belong to the city, such as Mátrafüred, Mátraháza, and the highest peak in Hungary, Kékestető is nearby.

The Mátra Landscape Protection Area (tájvédelmi körzet) was established in 1985 in order to conserve the protected flora and fauna of the rare, high mountain beech biocoenosis. A forest reserve is part of it, used exclusively for research purposes.

How to get there:
By public transport, Volán coaches run from Budapest and  from Eger to Gyöngyös. By train, Gyöngyös may be reached from Budapest, Hatvan or Miskolc with a change at Vámosgyörk. By car take the M3 motorway.