Debrecen

Debrecen, Hungary

When in Debrecen, use your senses instead of just looking for the signposts. Look down ahead of you to see on what kind of planks the citizens walked the streets in days of old. Look up to the sky and marvel at the colourful facades of the merchants’ houses, built at the beginning of the previous century. Follow your nose to the pleasant smells from the busy Mediterranean squares and intimate cafés, or simply listen to your ears and let the charming music guide your steps.

Population:

202,520 (2016)

Currency:

Forint

Emergency Numbers:

Emergency: 104, 112
Police: 107
Firefighters: 105

Opening Hours:

Newspapers:

Discover Debrecen

Debrecen is Hungary’s second largest city. It is located east of Budapest, in the Northern Alföld, a region which, when it comes to geothermal resources, is Hungary’s richest. A mere two-hour drive from the capital via the new motorway, it also boasts one of the country’s few international airports.

The city has served as the nation’s capital twice, in 1849 and at the turn 1944-45, respectively. Each time represented dramatic episodes of revolution and war, when the Reformed Big Church and the College became iconic venues of momentous historic occasions. Today, Debrecen exudes the feel of a pleasant provincial town with its colorful piazzas and spacious parks. At the same time, it also serves as Eastern Hungary’s commercial, administrative, cultural, and educational center. The presence of several multinationals as well as the university, with a student population of 30 thousand, including thousands of overseas students, lends a cosmopolitan atmosphere to the city. This is further accentuated by international sporting and cultural events. In addition to the internationally renowned annual Debrecen Flower Parade on August 20, the whole year is packed chock-full with boisterous festivals of cultural and gastronomic interest. However, the city is large enough to fully accommodate those who would rather get away from it all and find safe havens devoid of the noise of weekdays.

The nation’s first designated conservation area, the Nagyerdő neighborhood, gives home to Aquaticum Health & Spa Center, which offers the healing power of thermal water as well as a wide range of recreational facilities. Debrecen is a place where state-of-the-art metropolitan facilities are in close proximity to the peace and serenity of nature.

The cozy downtown “hidey-holes” are supplemented with the unique natural beauty and excursion options of nearby Erdőspuszta and Hortobágy National Park, the latter only a half hour-drive from the city center. This cornucopia of leisure activities offers holiday experiences without compromise to tourists of any age group. Whatever your pick, you sure won’t forget your stay in Debrecen.

Hortobágy

A designated UNESCO World Heritage site, Hortobágy National Park is the perfect archetype of pristine natural landscape. This is the place where everyone longs to find refuge from the monotony of modern human existence. Book a wagon ride, or go on a puszta safari to take the feel of the prairie and enjoy the freedom of the limitless horizon, the mirage, grazing herds, and monotonously nodding sweep-pole wells. In the nation’s oldest and biggest national park, also a European Destination of Excellence (EDEN) site, herdsmen’s traditions are still part of people’s means of subsistence and not mere promotional gimmicks.

Hortobágy herdsmen are called different names depending of what kind of animals they tend. A “csikós” looks after horses, a “gulyás” cattle. A “juhász” herds flocks of sheep, while a “kondás” cares for pigs. Practitioners of each trade wear hats of different shape, but they are always sturdy affairs: they won’t lose their form even if someone should tread on them.

Top Sights

Wherever you go in Debrecen, either in the historic center or in the Forest Park area, you come across many interesting places. In the following we will provide a little taste of the main attractions of Debrecen which one should definitely see when visiting the city. Many visitors hold that if you’ve seen one church, you’ve seen them all. Debrecen, as the seat of three bishops, can easily refute that claim. The Reformed College, often referred to as the school of the country, as well as its legal successor, the University of Debrecen in the Great Forest area, are sights not to be missed, just like the latest attractions of the Great Forest, the Fog Theater and the water tower.

Do & See

You will never completely take in Debrecen unless you climb the tower of Reformed Big Church, or try to lift a “gerundium” at the Reformed College. You must see the “lícium tree,” probably the humblest symbol of the Reformed faith, as well as St. Anne’s Cathedral, seat of the Catholic Bishop, based, ironically enough, in “Calvinist Rome.” True, you can get insights into Debrecen’s past and form predictions about its future strolling in the city’s streets and squares at your leisure. However, you won’t see the whole picture until you check out the excellent exhibits at Tímárház, the Déri Museum, Medgyessy Ferenc Memorial Museum or Modem Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art. Don’t let these adventures into the realms of history and art prevent you from tasting a nice plate of Debrecen double sausage. Have you explored the historic city center, discovered the Big Market, and mapped the small downtown piazzas, whiled away some time on the terraces and at Roncs Bar? Why don’t you kick back and enjoy the pleasures of Big Forest? Pamper yourself at Aquaticum Pleasure Bath, relax at the Spa, or go for a swim at Debrecen Swimming Complex, the main venue of 2012 European Swimming Championships. Take a stroll in Nagyerdei Park, which was completely redesigned in 2014. Check out the walkways dotted with spectacular water attractions. Try some of the rides at Nagyerdei Theme Park, or sign up for fun classes at Agora Scientific Adventure Center, located on UD’s campus. Round off you sightseeing tour with a mouthwatering dinner at a fine-dining restaurant, a show at Csokonai National Theater, or a classical music concert by Kodály Philharmonic Orchestra. Sports junkies can also get their adrenaline rush by rooting for local soccer heroes at Nagyerdei Arena, while young folks can have a great time in the country’s biggest club, the Hall.