The square is located in the heart of Kőszeg’s mediaeval town centre and is also the centre of modern-day Kőszeg.

It has always been an important venue in the history of the town since it was built over 750 years ago.
The community’s secular and religious institutions were also built around the market square. These buildings are valuable examples of Kőszeg’s architectural heritage. Luckily, these buildings have been left intact with the adjacent edifices such as churches and residential buildings and, with the reconstruction of the square in the 16th-17th century, the whole building complex has survived.

The residential buildings of the square have been used by prominent citizens and leaders of the town since very early times. Many of the buildings are prime examples of medieval, Renaissance or Baroque architecture both in terms of exterior and interior design. Fortunately, the area was neither affected by large-scale investments nor was devastated by wars, so the sites have remained intact; the buildings have been preserved and the subsequent centuries brought marked improvement.

The earliest buildings of the town have survived on the western side of the square, that is, the row of houses following a sawtooth pattern, including Hungary’s only town hall that has worked as the centre of local administration for over 500 years without interruption. Another row of houses, erected following the Ottoman siege in 1532, is a fine and rare example of Renaissance architecture.

Each and every building is listed and has its own character and the whole square is rightly hailed as Hungary’s most magnificent homogeneous built architectural unit.