Hungary – Great Plains (Szeged, Debrecen, Kecskemét, Nyíregyháza). October 5-6, 2019
SZEGED
The third largest city of Hungary, Szeged is situated near the southern border of Hungary, just to the south of the mouth of the Maros River, on both banks of the Tisza River, nearly in the centre of the Carpathian Basin. The Hungarian frontier with Serbia is just outside the town.
History. Szeged and its area have been inhabited since ancient times. Ptolemy mentions the oldest known name of the city: Partiscum. It is possible that Attila, king of the Huns had his seat somewhere in this area. In the second century AD there was a Roman trading post established on an island in the Tisza. During the Mongol invasion the town was destroyed and its inhabitants fled to the nearby swamps, but they soon returned and rebuilt their town. In the 14th century, Szeged became the most important town of Southern Hungary, and – as the Turkish armies got closer to Hungary – the strategic importance of Szeged grew. Szeged was first pillaged by the Turkish army on 28 September 1526, but was occupied only in 1543, and became an administrative centre of the Ottomans. The town was freed from Turkish rule on 23 October 1686,
Between 1728 and 1744 witch trials were frequent in the town, with the Szeged witch trials of 1728-29 perhaps being the largest. The witch trials were instigated by the authorities, who decided on this measure to remove the problem of the public complaints about the drought and its consequences of famine and epidemics by laying the responsibility on people among them, which had fraternized with the Devil. In 1720, the ethnic Hungarian population of the town numbered about 13000 to 16000, while the number of the Serb inhabitants was 1300.
Szeged is known as the home of paprika, a spice made from dried, powdered capsicum fruits. Paprika arrived in Hungary in the second half of the 16th century as an ornamental plant. About 100 years later the plant was cultivated as an herb, and paprika as we know Mark Pick’s shop – the predecessor of today’s world-famous Pick Salami Factory – was opened in 1869.
Today the inner city of Szeged has beautiful buildings and wide avenues. This is mainly due to the great flood of 1879, which literally wiped away the whole town (only 265 of the 5723 houses remained and 165 people died). Emperor Franz Joseph visited the town and promised that “Szeged will be more beautiful than it used to be”. He kept his promise. During the next years a new, modern city emerged from the ruins, with palaces and wide streets.
After the First World War Hungary lost its southern territories to Serbia, as a result Szeged became a city close to the border, and its importance lessened, but as it took over roles that formerly belonged to the now lost cities, it slowly recovered. During the 1920s the Jewish population of Szeged grew and reached its zenith. Szeged suffered heavily during World War II. 6,000 inhabitants of the city were killed, the Jewish citizens were confined to ghettos and then taken to death camps. Szeged was captured by Soviet troops on 11 October 1944. During the Communist-era, Szeged became a centre of light industry and food industry. In 1965 oil was found near the city; the area now satisfies 67% of the country’s oil demand.
Today’s Szeged is an important university town and a popular tourist attraction.
Votive Church and Cathedral of Our Lady of Hungary. A twin-spired Roman Catholic church, it lies on Dóm square, which is exactly the same size as Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy.Construction began in 1913, but due to the outbreak of the First World War, it was not completed until 1930. The church serves as the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Szeged–Csanád.
It is the fourth-largest church in Hungary. The dome is 54 metres outside (33 m above the inside floor) and the towers are both 91 m high. The church contains five bells, the largest of which is the Heroes Bell which weighs 8,537 kilograms.
The church is made mostly of brick, and has two towers, each 91 meters high, and a large dome in between.
The church has many frescos, with the main one being “Our Lady of Hungary” behind the main altar. It depicts Madonna wearing the Hungarian Crown; on her shoulder is St Stephen’s coronation mantle, in her right hand is the mace, in her left is the orb, and in her arm is Jesus as a child. The dome’s fresco is centered around the procession of the Holy Ghost but also contains depictions of St. Stephen, St. Elisabeth, St. Leslie, and St. Margaret as well.
Lajos Kossuth Statue. Lajos Kossuth (1802 – 1894) was a Hungarian nobleman, lawyer, journalist, politician, statesman and Governor-President of the Kingdom of Hungary during the revolution of 1848–49. With the help of his talent in oratory in political debates and public speeches, Kossuth emerged from a poor gentry family into regent-president of Kingdom of Hungary. As the influential contemporary American journalist Horace Greeley said of Kossuth: “Among the orators, patriots, statesmen, exiles, he has, living or dead, no superior.” He was widely honored during his lifetime, including in Great Britain and the United States, as a freedom fighter and bellwether of democracy in Europe. Kossuth’s bronze bust can be found in the United States Capitol with the inscription: Father of Hungarian Democracy, Hungarian Statesman, Freedom Fighter, 1848–1849.
NOMAD MANIA Hungary – Great Plains (Szeged, Debrecen, Kecskemét, Nyíregyháza)
World Heritage Sites: Hortobágy National Park – the Puszta
Tentative WHS
Frontiers of the Roman Empire – Ripa Pannonica in Hungary (22/06/2009)
State Stud-Farm Estate of Mezöhegyes (28/12/2000)
The Network of Rural Heritage Buildings in Hungary (28/12/2000)
The Wooden Churches of the Northern Part of the Carpathian Basin (28/12/2000)
Sights Debrecen Old Town and Cathedral
Borders
Hungary (river/lake border)
Hungary-Romania
Hungary-Serbia
Hungary-Ukraine
XL: Extreme east (Csenger, Fehérgyarmat)
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars
Danube Express (Budapest-Istanbul)
Hungary Intercity Railway Experience
World of Nature
Hortobagy
Kiskunsag
Körös-Maros
Festivals: Baja Fish Soup Festival
Experiences
Play/hear cimbalom
Taste Fatányéros
Taste Goulash
Open-Air Museums: Ópusztaszer National Heritage Park
Vehicle Museums: Kiskőrös: Old Car Museum
European Cities
BÉKÉSCABA/GYULA
Castles, Palaces, Forts: Gyula: Gyula Castle
House Museums/Plantations: Gyula: Erkel Ferenc Emlekhaz
DEBRECEN World Cities and Popular Towns
Sights: Debrecen Old Town and Cathedral
Airports: Debrecen (DEB)
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars: Debrecen Tram
Museums
Deri Museum
Modem Centre for Modern and Contemporary Arts
Református Kollégium Múzeum
House Museums/Plantations: Debreceni Irodalom Háza és Medgyessy Ferenc Emlékkiállítás
Windmills: Hortobágy Windmill
KECSKEMÉT
Museums
Leskowsky Instrument Collection
Museum of Photography
Planetariums: Kecskemét Planetarium
NYÍREGYHÁZA
Museums: Jósa András Múzeum
Zoos: Nyíregyháza Zoo
SZEGED
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars: Szeged Trams
Museums
Mora Ferenc Museum
Pick Salami and Paprika Museum
Castles, Palaces, Forts: Castle Museum
Religious Temples: Votive Church and Cathedral of Our Lady of Hungary
Zoos: Szeged Zoo
Botanical Gardens: University of Szeged Botanical Garden
Windmills: Kiskundorozsma Windmill
Monuments: Lajos Kossuth Statue
Villages and Small Towns
KALOCSA
Bizzarium: Paprika Museum
SZARVAS
Museums: Slovak House