Egerszeg

Egerszeg lies beside the Zala River in western Hungary. In 1421 it gained market-town status, allowing its inhabitants to elect a judge and pay their taxes annually. The town belonged for centuries to the bishopric of Veszprém and became an important centre for Zala county. As Ottoman expansion brought warfare closer, fortification began in 1568. After nearby Kanizsa fell to the Ottomans, Egerszeg's defensive importance increased; its fortress was briefly captured in 1664. War, disease and taxation weighed on the inhabitants. In the eighteenth century the town became the county's administrative seat, and a Baroque county hall was built between 1730 and 1732. Its administrative role grew while it remained a modest market town.