EGER

German Erlau, town, seat of Heves megye (county), northern Hungary. It lies in the valley of the Eger River, which is a tributary of the Tisza, between the Mtra and the Bkk mountains. Eger is an old Magyar tribal city with a bishopric founded in the 11th century. The Tatar invasion of the 13th century leveled most of the town, which was one of the richest in early medieval Hungary. The remains of the fortress from which the town was defended from the Turks in 1551 are on the hill to the northeast. The Turks returned to take and occupy the town from 1596 to 1687. It served them as an important outpost, and the 115-foot- (35-metre-) high minaret is one of the town's landmarks. From the early 18th century Eger revived, and the number of ecclesiastical buildings that were built in the town gave rise to its name of the Hungarian Rome. The former Minorite Church (175871) is one of the finer architectural monuments of Hungary, and the observatory tower is of historical interest to astronomers. Beneath Eger lie 60 miles (96 km) of tunnels that in times past provided building stone, sanctuary against invading Turks, and, more recently, cellars to mature wine. The tunnels were dug in a soft rock, and subsidence has caused extensive surface damage. The national government has provided subsidies to save the town's many historic buildings from further destruction. The rich soils and the favourable microclimate on the hill slopes have supported grape vines, with viticulture dating from the 13th century. Bikavr, a full-bodied red wine, is Eger's best-known wine. The town has a limited manufacturing industry (furniture, cigarettes, and precision instruments). Eger is also the tourist centre for the Mtra Mountains (q.v.), and there is a spa with numerous bathing facilities. Pop. (1991 est.) 62,474.