EGER (Ger. Erlau, Med.

See also:

• LAT

Lat. Agria)  , a town of Hungary, capital of the county of Heves, 90 M . E.N.E. of Budapest by rail . Pop . (1900) 24,650 . It is beautifully situated in the valley of the river Eger, an affluent of the Theiss, and on the eastern outskirts of the Matra mountains . Eger is the see of an archbishopric, and owing to its numerous ecclesiastical buildings has received the name of " the Hungarian Rome." Amongst the principal buildings are the beautiful cathedral in the Italian style, with a handsome dome 130 ft. high, erected in 1831–1834 by the arch-bishop Ladislaus Pyrker (1772–1847); the church of the Brothers of Mercy, opposite which is a handsome minaret, 115 ft. high, the remains of a mosque dating from the Turkish occupation, other Roman Catholic churches, and an imposing Greek church . The archiepiscopal palace; the lyceum, with a good library and an astronomical observatory; the seminary for Roman priests; and the town-hall are all noteworthy . On an eminence N.E. of the town, laid out as a park, are the ruins of the old fortress, and a monument of Stephen DOb6, the heroic defender of the town against the assaults of the Turks in 1552 . The chief occupation of the inhabitants is the cultivation of the vineyards of the surrounding hills, which produce the red Erlauer wine, one of the best in Hungary . To the S.W. of Eger, in the same county of Heves, is situated the town of Gyongyos (pop . 15,878) . It lies on the south-western outskirts of the Matra mountains, and carries on a brisk trade in the Erlauer wine, which is produced throughout the district .

The Hungarians defeated the Austrians at Gyongyos on the 3rd of

April 1849 . To the S.W. of Gyongyos is situated the old town of Hatvan (pop . 9698), which is now a busy railway junction, and possesses several industrial establishments . Eger is an old town, and owes its importance to the bishopric created by King Stephen in 1010, which was one of the richest in the whole of Hungary . In 1552 Eger resisted the repeated assaults of a large Turkish force; in 1596, however, it was given up to the Turks by the Austrian party in the garrison, and remained in their possession until 1687 . It was created an arch-bishopric in 1814 . During the revolution of 1848–1849, Eger, was remarkable for the patriotic spirit displayed by its in-habitants; and it was here that the principal campaigns against the Austrians were organized .