It is the most impressive street in downtown Kőszeg.

Earlier this urban area was described, because of its unique L-shape, as in der obern gaβen” and as in der obern winckhl” (1570); it was also referred to as Upper Street (1614) or Herrngasse (1819) as well as Úri Street (1839). The latter term, used in the 18th century, was coined owing to the settlement of aristocratic proprietors in Kőszeg (“úr” meaning gentleman) owing to the fact that the Transdanubian Regional Court was relocated and brought to Kőszeg in 1724. These new settlers remodelled the streetscape commissioning the building of tall, imposing houses in replacement of the previous, rather simple constructions. The street was renamed to mark the 1000th anniversary of the Hungarians’ settlement in the area and to honour Kőszeg’s prominent citizen Kálmán Chernel. The event was commemorated in the local paper dealing with cultural and social issues Kőszeg és Vidéke (Kőszeg and its environs); a report entitled New Year Reflections, written in January 1897, mentions the renaming as one of the positive outcomes of the previous year.“In fact, the last, just now completed year was not wholly disastrous for us”. 1896 brought us a new school, millennial memorials… a local representative in the national assembly, new street names, a new tower clock, a new cultural association, a new village; things not be sniffed at, things that bear witness to the fact the last year Kőszeg was endowed with valuable gifts.” In the 1950s, when in line with the prevalent communist propaganda almost every street was rechristened after communists and freedom fighters, Chernel was the only street name that remained in place. When attempting to come up with a pretext for retaining the name, they highlighted Chernel’s commonly known aversion to the Habsburgs and his sentiment for independence as a historian.

In his memoirs entitled  “Recollections”, he gave a detailed account of his memories about the venue of his childhood and the events he witnessed here.