Kőszeg’s emblematic landmark, the Heroes’ Tower, was built in 1932 in place of the former Lower Tower, the southern gate to the town, surrounded by a wall.

The latter was dismantled in 1880 owing to its bad state of repair, and the launching of public transport in the area. Its stocky structure was replaced a good 50 years later with the taller Heroes’ Tower that had a much wider passage underneath allowing easier access to Jurisics Square. The tower was designed by architect Flóris Opaterny to mark the 400th anniversary of the Ottoman attack in 1532.

As its name suggests, it commemorates the castle-protecting heroes and those who fell in the world wars. Its southern façade is decorated with a Calvary scene carved into a large-scale cast stone, donated to the town by factory owner Gusztáv Szentgyörgyi Czeke, which was prepared in replacement of the former tower’s Calvary mural. Following the inauguration ceremony, the first museum of Kőszeg could also start its operation partly at the lower part of the tower, and in the adjacent Tábornokház (Generals’ House), an exhibition area popular with tourist since 1933.

On the first floor, craftsmen’s workshops are on display; the unique feature of this part of the museum is that following an extensive fund-raising campaign these workshops could find their way into the museum with their entire equipment. An exhibition showing the rich history of guilds of the town is also on display at the museum. On the top floor of the multistorey tower, an exhibition presenting the history of the local architectural heritage is available for visitors. The 27-meter-tall tower, however, does not only work as an exhibition space but also as a lookout tower: the top of the tower offers a magnificent view of the town and the surrounding hills. It is no wonder that the Heroes’ Tower is the most visited and popular landmark in Kőszeg.