WESTERN TRANSDANUBIA - Geography and history
A good geographic situation
Western Transdanubia comprises three counties: Gyor-Moson-Sopron, Vas and Zala. The towns richest in historical monuments in the whole country are situated in the mountainous region bordering on Slovenia and Austria, including the building complex of the Pannonhalma Abbey (Pannonhalmi Foapátság), the guardian of the Hungary's cultural treasures, which has become part of the world heritage. With 1 004 thousand inhabitants at 1st of January 2003, the region represented 9.9% of the total population of Hungary.
One can say that Western Transdanubia is a privileged region in the country. The hills of Zala with their ample harvest, the gentle slopes of the foothills of the Alps, the fields of Kisalföld have always guaranteed subsistence for their hard-working people, whereas its strong castles and the vicinity of the western world protected it from the suffering caused by the long rule of the Turks which lead to the loss of population at certain parts of the country.
The vertical walls of the Zala Hills were covered by contiguous forests. The remnants of these old pinewoods and beech woods can still be found there. The rivers of Duna and Rába are excellent for angling and for water sports.
Tourism more important than nationally
The region of Western Transdanubia produces around 11% of Hungary?s total Gross Domestic Product. In the region, agriculture is especially important in Gyor-Moson-Sopron county due to the more favourable natural endowments. The region is highly preferred by foreign investors: in 2001, 12% of foreign investments were directed to this region, especially to Gyor-Moson-Sopron county. 296 foreign enterprises were in the region?s agriculture.
In 2001, the region accounted for 10.3% of the country?s Gross Value Added. The share of the primary sector (4.3%) was comparable to that observed nationally. At the opposite, the share of industry was especially high in the region (43.9%, more than 12 percentage points over the national average). The tertiary sector represented only 51.8% of the Gross Value Added, while this share 64.4% nationally.
Tourism alone accounted for 2.3% of the Gross Value Added. Firstly, the region is rich in thermal springs: people can enjoy the soothing effects of the baths in Balf, Sárvár and Bükfürdõ. But the various types of red wines of the region and the colourful vintage season celebrations around Lake Fertõ are other tempting reasons to attract tourists. The famous wine-growing areas of the region are the one in Zala, producing white wines, the one in Pannonhalma-Sokoró known for its spicy white wines and the one around Sopron.
A historical place
The region offers a rich variety of beautiful and fascinating attractions, as quaint medieval towns and villages, Baroque and Renaissance palaces, fortresses perched on rocky crags, castle ruins, stunning churches and protected natural landscapes of forests, lakes and wetlands.
Its greater towns were significant settlements even during the rule of the Romans, because the Amber-road connecting the North Sea with the Byzantine Empire crossed its area. The rich finds of Szombathely (Savaria) from the Roman age reveal the story of a flourishing town. According to the legend, when the chiefs of the conquering Hungarian tribes looked around from Saint Martin Hill, and saw the beauty of Pannonia, they decided to settle there. A hundred years later, their descendants, founding the state, built the Abbey of Pannonhalma at the same site. They constructed fortress-like churches in the villages distributed among the tribes that could be used for defence in case of necessity. One of the few remaining churches is the circular church of Kallósd, built in the 13th century. The most beautiful example for the "clannish monastery churches" is the Roman church of Ják. The beautiful carved casing of its gate is famous all over Europe. The well-constructed border fortresses resisted the sieges of the Turks, the heroism of their defenders brought ever-lasting glory to the town of Kõszeg. As the Turks could not establish themselves in the area or they could do so just for a very short period, the settlements of the region survived the period of Turkish rule intact. This is why such gems like the old city of Sopron or the villages of Õrség famous for its ancient structure of settlements have been preserved in their original beauty.
The entire area of Kisbalaton is a nature conservation area. Fertõ-Hanság National Park was formed for preserving the wildlife of its marshlands. In addition to protecting the special sub-Alpine flora and fauna of the lower region of the Alps, it is also responsible for protecting the small villages forming part of the historic monuments in the area.
In Göcsej Museum and Göcsej Village Museum of Zalaegerszeg can be seen the products of folk art and folk architecture of the area. Rábaköz was famous for its specific traditional costumes which, unfortunately, can only be seen in museums nowadays. In Kapuvár, the ornamental costumes and characteristic, painted furniture of the local people are shown in the country museum.
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