Start your walk in the Göcseji Museum (4) in the former city centre, where you will find beautiful treasures in the Zsigmond Kisfaludi Strobl collection including busts depicting Queen Elizabeth II as a young girl and the famous writer G. B. Shaw.

On the high altar of the nearby Mary Magdalene Parish Church (6) there are two locations where initials from the master fresco painter Johann Ignaz Cimbal (1722-1795) can be seen: one of them has just recently been revealed during the church’s restoration and is hidden behind the altar while the other is in the monumental fresco in a section of the rock. A stroll of a couple of minutes takes you to Deák Square, (5) then Piac (Market) Square (16).

Centuries ago the castle of Zalaegerszeg stood here and in today’s Piac (Market) Square white stones indicate where one of the bastions of the castle was discovered. In Széchenyi Square (17) there stands the building housing the Zala County Archives (18), where the oldest general assembly meeting minutes of the present Hungary are kept. Look up and see Zalaegerszeg’s Postal Palace (68) a grandiose three-storey building, but it is not only its wonderful Art Nouveau style that attracts attention: its façade – similarly to the Postal Palace in Pécs – is decorated with Zsolnay ceramics.

Fun facts

In the Lajos Kossuth Street, opposite the Dísz Square, the residential building next to the city hall looks like an ordinary block of flats at first glance, but have a closer look at the balconies and it is obvious why this house is referred to as ‘the whale-balconied house’ (66).

The Csipkeházak (Lace Houses) (26) are among the notable buildings of Zalaegerszeg: the multi-storey residential buildings erected in several phases between 1976 and 1985 are also famous for their balconies: the general effect of the white or dark blue balcony railings creates a wavy façade imitating lacework.

Not far from the Dísz Square (25), in László Csány Square (33) there stands the neo-Gothic Evangelical Church (36), with exceptional internal wall paintings. Peek inside and discover a real rarity: an Angster organ, which has although been mechanically transformed, is still operational. The church can be visited upon prior arrangement.

Moving on, the Kálvária kápolna (Calvary Chapel) (39) can be seen on the small hill next to Rózsák tere (The Square of Roses) (38). Pay respects in the ancient cemetery where you can find one of the oldest gravestones in Egerszeg, the sandstone tomb of János Gothard bootmaker. In Május 1 liget (First of May park) (67) there is a monument in reference to the traditions of Easter perambulation.

Fun Facts

Easter perambulation was a long-standing tradition in our city. At night a group of lads recruited from Zalaegerszeg perambulated the boundaries of the city and its vineyards with pipes and trumpets and other tools to make noise.

In the Csács district pay a visit to the Arboretum (63), open from April to the middle of November at the weekends or on state holidays.

Walk Length: approx. 2- 3 hours

Lying 10 kilometres from Zalaegerszeg, see the old castle and parish church in Egervár (64).

Visiting time: approx. 2– 3 hours

Begin your gastronomic tour in the downtown Piac (Market) Square (16) and in Várkör (Castle District) Street (58). Explore the bustling market atmosphere. Do a little shopping, bargaining, and sampling of the traditional lángos (fried flat bread). Festivals and special events make it enjoyable and easy to try local produce. Various themes are featured throughout the year: Spring and Autumn Festivals, Strawberry Day, Tomato Day, etc.

Walk Length: approx. 2 hours

Stroll downtown for a gastronomic experience. Savour the tastes of our local specialties in our restaurants, patisseries and cafés.

Walk Length: approx. 2- 2.5 hours

A trip to the south to the forest Alsóerdő (50), leads you to Aranyoslapi Spring (51), the Ornithological trail (52), Azalea valley (53), Bazita Hill TV tower (54) – go up for a panoramic view and a visit to the café.

Walk Length: approx. 2– 3 hours

Next, visit the Jánkahegyi Lookout Point (55) and the Stations of the Cross on Jánkahegy (56). Lastly you will arrive at the Keresztury House (57). The Keresztury collection in Béla Bartók Street can be visited upon prior arrangement.

Walk Length: approx. 2.5– 3 hours

Stroll in the neighbourhood of Lake Gébárti and sculpture garden (44), then a visit to the

House of Craftsmen (45), its workshops and folk art exhibitions – upon prior arrangement demonstrations of various trades can be seen (pottery, metalwork, wood carving etc.).

Visit Length: approx. 1– 3 hours

Have some fun or relaxation at the Aquacity Waterslide and Adventure Park (46), theIndoor Thermal Spa (47) or Lake Gébárti Lido(48).

Visiting time: approx. 3- 8 hours

Fun facts

The thermal water at 84°C is too hot and has to be cooled down in the Indoor Thermal Spa (featuring sound and light therapy). Next to the Lake Gébárti Lido you can find the facility of the Aquatherma Thermal village and Campsite (49) heated by thermal water and in operation year round.

Start at Göcseji Village Museum. Your ticket is valid for both the open-air Göcseji Village Museum (1) and the neighbouring Museum of the Hungarian Petroleum Industry (2).

Visiting time: approx. 2.5- 3 hours

The Museum of the Hungarian Petroleum Industry is the largest open-air technical museum in Hungary and the second most significant museum of the petroleum industry in Europe. Visit to the Göcseji Museum (4) Journey the length of the river in the permanent exhibition titled ‘Centres along the River Zala’. Visit the revived heritage collection of the Kossuth award winner, sculptor Zsigmond Kisfaludi Strobl. See the works of art of Kossuth and Munkácsy award winner ceramic artist János Németh, the ‘Artist of the Nation’. The temporary exhibition hall houses changing displays of other treasures from the museum’s collections.

Visiting time: approx. 1– 1.5 hours

Fun facts

The Liberty Statue (Szabadság Szobor) in Budapest is the work of our Zala county-born sculptor Zsigmond Kisfaludi Strobl. Recall Zalaegerszeg’s history by visiting Deák Square (5) and the Mary Magdalene Parish Church (6). The church can be visited for free upon prior appointment.

Visiting time: approx. 30 minutes – 1 hour