I first visited the fifth largest Hungarian city, Pecs, in 2010, when it was the European Capital of Culture. The city fascinated me, for they’ve renovated many buildings and there were many musical, dance, theatre, movie and other artistic events taking place. Parts of the city were a real construction zone, so I decided to visit it again this year. I mean, the city is not that far from Slovenia. Pecs is close to Croatia and Vojvodina and only a bit more than 200km from Lendava, but there are no good road connections to it, that’s why it takes you over three hours to reach it. There are several ways to get there and all are well marked. You do not need to pay for Hungarian motorway to get there, because there is no motorway there.
The city is very popular with the youth. Like the first time I wanted to book a room at the
HI hostel Nap, which lies in one of the most charming old streets, but it was full. Luckily the manager arranged a bed for me in the
hostel Ananas (owned by a friend of his). It’s not a part of the HI network yet, but the young owners and hosts Csabo and Marion, have established good contacts with the network already. Whenever one of the hostels fills up its capacities, they direct the guests to the other one. Prices range from 10€ a night (in local currency). Ananas also has a very good location. It’s in an old townhouse between the centre and the Zsolnayev cultural part of the city. The rooms are colourful and brightly painted, with many pictures, which also hang in the bathroom and kitchen. They also have a great garden, which is a true luxury for this part of the city. It’s the best place to meet people, because in the warm months they make it into a bar. Csaba and Marion love to chat with guests. They are great hosts and can prepare a delicious dinner (if you order it). They also know the surrounding very well, for they’ve both studied here. With their tips you won’t get bored in the city!
The most interesting part is the old town, which has been renovated and stands behind the defensive walls. Motorised traffic was banned in that part a few years ago. The most vivid part is the square in front of the church with a dome, which served as a mosque during the Turkish occupation. In ancient Roman times the settlement was called Sopianae. It became an important early Christian settlement by the time of the 4th century and the cemetery with its mausoleums and sarcophagi remained from that era and became part of the UNESCO world heritage protected sites. Not far away, rising up from the park, is the most recognisable building of the city, the St. Peter’s cathedral, with four staples.
Pecs also got a nickname – a town of museums – and the KAptalan street is also called a museum street. One of the most interesting museums is dedicated to the Hungarian artist Victor Vasarely (1906-1997) and is set up in his birth house. Varsaly was one of the pioneers of op-art, the optical art. In the museum you will find exhibits of several of his works, but also works of other artists from the same artistic stream. Vasarely was also into marketing and it was he, who created the redesigned Renault’s logo. The other important museum is dedicated to the industrial family Zsolnay, who reached world fame with the production of their ceramic tiles at the turn of the 19th century.
Even if you’re not really a fan of ceramic tiles, you should still visit the Zsolnay’s cultural quarter. The old factory features several exhibition spaces, shops, galleries, craftsmen’s workshops… and part of the renovated buildings now belong to the university for music and arts. Pecs really is an important university centre, where the students make up a bit over one fifth of the entire population. The university of Pecs was the first in Hungary and draws centuries of tradition, being established as early as 1367.
Local people also love to go to the modern shopping mall, with most of the world known brands, which is just a few hundred metres away. Because it’s easy to get to and has a big parking, it’s always full of people. At the same time, the shops – except for those with souvenirs – disappeared from the old part of the city. They’ve been replaced by many pubs, which is a problem to some – especially older – residents. But that’s something we’re familiar with from back home as well …
Despite many foreigners visiting and many even studying at the University of Pecs, the local people are not really good at mastering foreign languages. Tourist offices, exclusive shops and restaurants are not a problem though. But when I was asking the people on the streets about some local attractions, they usually didn’t understand me. English is still not so wide spread, to be in common use. Elderly people usually learned German, but even the younger generations find English very foreign. But usually that’s not a problem, it’s only a hustle with some landmark or trying to read the instructions to a parking machine.
