Firewatch Tower

The Firewatch Tower (Tűztorony) is the symbol of Sopron — a 61-metre structure rising above the Előkapu (Main Gate) at the south entrance to the old town. The tower was used for centuries to watch for fires in the surrounding hills and to sound the alarm via a horn played from the open lantern gallery near the top. Today it is open to visitors, and the climb to the gallery — 210 steps — gives the best view over the old town, the vineyards, and on clear days, the Alps.

The Gate of Loyalty at the foot of the tower commemorates the 1921 referendum in which the citizens of Sopron voted to remain part of Hungary rather than join Austria, earning the city its title "Civitas Fidelissima" (Most Loyal Town). The inscription on the gate records the vote: 72.8% for Hungary.

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A story
The tower's base is built on the remains of a Roman city gate from the 2nd century AD. Successive generations added to it: the lower cylindrical section is medieval, the upper baroque lantern was added after a fire in 1676, and the whole thing was repaired and heightened in the 18th century. The result is one of the most layered pieces of architecture in Hungary — a single structure containing almost two millennia of building history.