Excursion to Pécs

(Recommended length of stay is 2-3 days)

Pécs is the seat and the largest city of the Transdanubian region in South-West Hungary; a Catholic Episcopal seat and a university city that provides home to a large number of festivals and other cultural events year after year.The city was awarded the title of European Capital of Culture for the year 2010 by the European Union.

Pécs is home to approximately 153 000 inhabitants and is a city of knowledge and history. Although Pécs is at a distance of five hundred kilometres from the Adriatic Sea, numerous travel books describe it as the Hungarian city with a touch of the Mediterranean atmosphere. The local city centre, with its ancient Christian remains from the Roman years, was declared a World Heritage Site in 2000 by UNESCO.

The European Capital of Culture title provides grounds to long term culture-based development not only for the city itself but for the entire South Transdanubian region.

The unique character and atmosphere of Pécs is largely determined by the fact that it is a university city. Thanks to the more than thirty five thousand national and international students of the University of Pécs, the youthful energy of the city, the busy street life, squares and places of entertainment can be sensed on simple weekdays as well as during the time of large-scale festivals. At the beginning of every July the prime of all those interested in culture come to the city from all over the globe to attend the International Culture Week in Pécs (ICWiP).The colourful and eventful programmes and festivals are hosted by the historic sites and buildings of the city. The early Roman burial chambers, the medieval buildings, the different sites of religious history, the streets paved with several thousand year-old stones all radiate a unique atmosphere. Nevertheless, there is no sensation of a vanished past, since taking a step beyond the old-fashioned exhibition halls, contemporary forms of art are continuously entering the public spaces of the city as well. The spirit of modern art penetrates into Pécs. New works of art and performances are constantly being created, inspired by the atmosphere of the city, whose unique nature lies right in the interaction between the city and art.

 All of this is taken for granted by the residents of the city. Others, however, can only understand it if they visit Pécs and get first-hand experience of the colours, flavours and voices of the city.