Lutheran Church
It is the largest church in Sopron on Templom Street and the third largest of all the Lutheran churches in Hungary.
The Lutheran pastor Simon Gerengel was invited by the city council to Sopron in 1565, he was the one who organized the parish of Sopron, the oldest Lutheran congregation in Hungary. During the period of Counter-Reformation, the congregation lost its churches, schools, all its property, but they were allowed to practice their religion to a limited extent. In 1674, on the site of today's church, the congregation built a wooden church, which burned down in 1676 but then it was rebuilt. After the Edict of Tolerance of Joseph II, in 1784 the Lutheran church that is still in use today was built on the site of the wooden church, but without a tower. The Protestant churches (like the synagogues) could not be built on the street front at that time, and they were not allowed to have a tower either.
The 50.5-meter-high church tower has stood tall in the town centre since 1867 with the Loyalty Bell that is the oldest of its four bells.
On December 16, 1921 the clamour of the Loyalty Bell made it known that Sopron remained part of Hungary as a result of the referendum.
The Baroque altar is from the Austrian Camaldolese monastic church. The late Baroque pulpit made in 1781 is another valuable item of the church interior.
The Lutheran church can welcome 3.000 believers, and due to its size it is now a popular venue for choir and classical music concerts.
