The curious visitors can discover worthes of a many-sided culture in county Vas. The respect of the traditions and the claim to modernity played always an important role in the cultural, artistic life of this territory. The persons living here liked to build in their thinking and activities the historicality proceeding from the Roman era, the Pannon attitude and self-awareness, the advanced traditions of culture-patronizing. This intellectual sensitiveness created the developed system of organizations and the modern artistic studios as well.

The county and its cities became through this to hosts of noted festivals and patrons of celebrations of European repute. The visitor can imagine the harmonious living together of the past and the present in the city town and in the small towns as well.

In Szombathely the „homes of Muses”seems to overlap each other. The solemnity of the ancient sanctuary Iseum accompanies to the Bartók concert hall and to the modern art gallery as well. On one side of the amber road passing through the bishop’s ruins the Sala Terrana (first archeological museum of Hungary) and the glorious Diocese Library urge to look around immersed, on the other side the swarming of the student’s quarter, the County Cultural and Youth Centre and the lively life of the College of Education arouse attention.

In the historical castles, buildings of Kőszeg, Sárvár, Körmend, Szentgotthárd, Vasvár the culture and the art found home again. The county absolved its bordering isolation by welcoming prominent international programmes recognized early the bridge-building role of the culture. Programmes with decenial traditions are popular today as well, which were built in the everyday cultural supply of the territory organically. Szombathely is really the meeting place of the arts, with pleasure and right it is mentioned as the city of ”dance and music”. The three decenial Savaria International Dance Contest provided pleasure to tousends of people with its particular atmosphere, charmed sight. The most prominent musical programme of the summer is the Bartók Seminar and Festival, its status was strengthened by art studios of European repute, the Symphony Orchestra, the Capella Savaria and partizipation of world-famous representatives of the contemporary music.

The names of International Textil Biennal Festival in Szombathely and International Folklore Meeting in Sárvár sound well-known worldwide, they are prominent, in outward appearances as well imposing celebrations of the arts. The Spring Festival in Szombathely and the Pannon Autumn are new initiatives strengthening the cultural image of the city and the county, they provide experiences, useful recreation to more thousend visitors. The spectacle-enthusiasts are pleased by the Midsummer Night’s musical jollifications, the regional vintages-mass entertainments, the celebretions of Book of Vine Comings, the presentation of excellent folk customs of county Vas, which are more and more popular in the cities as well.

The regions in county Vas enrich the cultural variety with particular value: Kemenesalja with its rich literary historical and railway historical traditions, the Triple Border with its ethnic celebrations, Őrseg and Ridge of Hill of county Vas with its folk art and natural programmes, Sárvár and Kőszeg with events recalling its excellent historical past. The cultural heritage becomes complete by the Croatian, Slovenian and German traditionalist groups, which preserve memories of their minority past in their lanuage and customs in more places and more and more lively. County Vas is rich in value preserving museums as well. The modern Art Gallery born from art patronizing became important mediator of the contemporary art.

Museums of Kőszeg preserve wonderul values, the hussar historical collection in Sárvár affects the visitors with the excitement of discovery. The two tousend years old fractions of Iseum and Romkert, the collection of stones in Museum Savaria allow inspection in the pomp of the antique past. The celebrations of culture and arts made busy the one-time Amber road in reality: made connections with the neighbours and distant nations. This is illustrated by traditional excellent programms and new ambitions, for example the establishment of Europe House in Köszeg among them. The lively cultural life is accompanied by hearty hospitality, the inhabitants and the guests can feel real at home in this territory.