Dominating the Old Town, and originally built in the mid-13th century, the four-towered fortress has been reconstructed several times due to a major fire and is now a hotchpotch of Renaissance arcades, Gothic windows and baroque interiors. It is here that Miklós Jurisics heroically held out against the Turks and is commemorated with a statue. Inside is a museum – at the time of writing it was closed for renovation until early 2013 – with exhibits on the history of Kőszeg from the 14th century, focusing largely on the siege of 1532 and on local wine production. Among the latter is the curious Szőlő jővésnek könyve (Arrival of the Grape Book), a kind of gardener’s logbook of grape shoot and bud sketches begun in 1740 and updated annually on St George’s Day (23 April). You can climb two of the towers for views over the town.
