Tourist information Pecs

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Pecs
Cities information

Location:
Zalakaros, with its 1900 inhabitants, is located southwest from Lake Balaton, at a 40-kilometers distance. The region offers a wide variety of pretty landscapes, from flatland to foothills, with forests and flowery meadows, conservation areas, rare and protected animal-species, as well as vegetation. The peaceful atmosphere, the healing thermal water of the spa, as well as the surrounding tourist- and holiday resort draws close to a million visitors each year. The Sarmellek airport is 20 kilometres away, while Keszthely, the so-called capital of the Lake is 35 kilometres, and the city of Nagykanizsa is 18 kilometres away - both abounding in museums and sights to visit.

History:
Troops of the Roman Empire established the city in the 2nd century, naming it Sopianae, and by the 4th century, it became a major cultural and commercial centre. The first Hungarian King, St. Stephen, established an episcopate here, and during the 14th century, King Lewis the Great established the first university of the country, still in operation today. During the medieval times, Janus Pannonius made it an outstanding centre of humanistic art. The Turkish era left a rich heritage of historical buildings. In 1780, Maria Theresa of Austria bestowed the rank of a free royal city, which resulted in much expansion and economic growth. At the first part of the 19th century, the city manufactured world-famous goods, such as the Littke champagne, the Angster pipe-organ and the Zsolnay ceramics. For 2010, the city was designated as one of the cultural capitals of Europe, bringing additional cultural projects and events.

Sights:
Pecs is one of the oldest settlement of Hungary, rich in historical sites.

  • The old Christian cemetary and the Cella Septichora originates from the 4th century. It is located on the northwestern part of the city, close to the cathedral, and it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage sites since the end of 2000.

  • The Cathedral of Pecs was established in the 11th century, during the reign of the first Hungarian King, St. Stephen. As it was renovated and expanded several times through the centuries, both the interior design and the outer appearance shows a mix of different styles, classicist, gothic and neoroman.

  • The Gazi Kasim Mosque, still standing on the main square of the city, was built under the era of the Ottoman Turks. Today, it gives home to the downtown parish house.

  • With the Pecs 2010, European Cultural Capital projekt, a Zsolnay Cultural Quarter is being built on the grounds of the factory, with historical exhibitions, institutional and cultural buildings hosting festivals, a planetaria, as well as a house of science.

The Museum Street:
Kaptalan Street is also called the Museum Street, as most of its buildings are museums, including the Renaissance Museum, the Zsolnay Mausoleum, the Amerigo Tot Museum, the Victor Vasarely Museum, the Museum Gallery, the Gallery of Modern Hungarian Art, the Elisabeth Schaar: Street, the Endre Nemes Museum and the Ferenc Martyn Museum.

Excursions:
The 570 metres long dinkey line of the Mecsek Rail transports visitors between the Zoo and the Adventure Park. Unique attractions of the Zoo and the Aquarium-Terrarium include Falabella mini horses, and a prarie dog city. The Adventure park, soon to be converted into a nostalgy park, was built back in 1961, and thus has a historic atmosphere. The Mecsextrem park is situated at a 2-km distance from the city, at Arpadteto, welcoming guests with a forest bobsled, an alpine ropes course, a Tyrol-slide, a two-towered rope-pyramid, go-carts, horseback-riding, a playground, a climbing wall, an adventure castle, trampolines, shooting, bird-nest experience and an invisible exhibition.

Events:
The city of Pecs has an outstanding cultural life, both in terms of music and in of fine arts. It has an opera company and a symphony orchestra. Annual festivals include the Pecs University Days, the Pecs Days, and the Pecs National Theatre Day. Additional, highly popular events include the convivial song festival, the international adult marionett festival, the international summer blues&jazz festival, the rock marathon, the beer summering and the open-air festival. The city has five theatres: the Janus University Theatre, the Horvat Theatre of Pecs, the National Theatre of Pecs, the Third Theatre of Pecs, and the Bobita punch and judy show. Exhibitions in museums other than hosted by those located on Museum Street include the Csontvary Museum collection, as well as several city- and private galeries.

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