WWII Bombs Revealed Roman Ruins In Hungary's Wine Capital

My trip to Sopron, where ancient history blends with modernity

The Sopron Museum and the Museum Cafe. [All photos are taken and copyrighted by the author and are not to be used without permission].

This is the third and final part of my Central Europe and Balkan travel series. I previously covered Nesebar, Bulgaria, and Forchtenstein Castle, Austria. After returning from Forchtenstein Castle, I wanted to explore the area further. Sopron, Hungary, was only twenty minutes away from Unterpetersdorf. My friend said his mother goes there for haircuts and shopping since it is cheaper than in Austria.

I didn’t need a haircut, but I’d never been to Hungary and didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to visit Sopron. Although it doesn’t receive as many tourists as Budapest, it has a long history dating back to Roman times.

Surprisingly, much of the city’s Roman heritage was revealed because of the catastrophic bombardment of Sopron during the Second World War. The demolition exposed the Roman municipality of Scarbantia.

From Scarbantia’s ruins to graffiti comm…