SOPRON

German denburg, town, Gyor-Sopron megye (county), western Hungary. Occupying a salient projecting into the Burgenland of Austria, it is in the foothills of the Austrian Alps near Lake Ferto, west of Budapest. Artifacts from the area indicate Neolithic, Bronze Age, Illyrian, and Celtic settlements prior to the town's becoming the Roman municipium of Scarabantia. It is a long-established mercantile centre at the intersection of major trade routes. The medieval inner town is oval-shaped and is surrounded by the old city walls, which largely remain intact. Many old houses with courtyards, a remarkable City Tower, and several old churches are of historical and architectural interest. After World War I the Burgenland was allotted to Austria, but in 1921 Sopron voted to remain in Hungary. Because most of Sopron's trade was in the Vienna Basin, the division of Austria-Hungary caused the town to lose much of its importance as a commercial centre. The town has some industry, including fruit preserving, sugar refining, and the manufacture of cotton goods. Sopron's architectural attractions make it a major tourist centre. The University of Forestry and Wood Sciences (1808) is in Sopron. Pop. (1994 est.) 56,324.