Roman Walls and Revolutionary Graffiti in Hungary’s Wine Capital
My trip to Sopron, where ancient history blends with modernity
After returning to Unterpetersdorf, Austria, from a trip to the Forchtenstein Castle in August 2017, I wanted to explore the area further. Sopron, Hungary, was only twenty minutes away from Unterpetersdorf. My friend said his mother goes there for haircuts and shopping since it is cheaper than in Austria.
I didn’t need a haircut, but I’d never been to Hungary and didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to visit Sopron. Although it doesn’t receive as many tourists as Budapest, it has a long history dating back to the Roman times.
Surprisingly, much of the city’s Roman heritage was revealed because of the catastrophic bombardment of Sopron during the Second World War. The demolition exposed the Roman municipality of Scarbantia.
From Scarbantia’s ruins to graffiti commemorating the 1989 Hungarian Revolution, Sopron's art and architecture perfectly capture its 2000-year-old history.
