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Country Guide: Hungary

Southern Great Plain
Mirages of trees, T-shaped traditional wells, church spires, even entire villages may be seen in the shimmering hot air of the Puszta. The Hungarian Plain is also the cradle of folk customs and crafts.Painted gingerbread figures, embroidery, weaving and ceramics decorated in traditional red, green and white patterns are among the handicrafts you will see in towns and villages. Passionate about village and farm holidays? Devotee of Puszta riding tours? This is the right place! Szeged is the sunshine capital of Hungary. After tours, relaxation of a different sort awaits the traveller: the abundantly flowing thermal water helps heal and relax the body.

Southern Great Plain cuisine has everything to offer from Csaba sausage (kolbász) and the fish soup of Baja or Szeged to fine local wine.

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Hungarian Tourism Rt.
Southern Great Plain Regional Marketing Office
5700 Gyula, Erkel Ferenc tér 1.
Phone: + 36 66/521-020
Fax: +36 66/521-024
E-mail: darib@bhn.hu

Baja
Baja is located at the fork of the Danube, at one of Europe's busiest waterways. As you walk the winding streets, you can feel the nostalgic atmosphere of a small trading town.

An exhibit about the history of fishing is housed in the Türr István Museum.

The famous fish soup cooking contest of Baja was mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records. The open-air cooking contest takes place in the neo-Renaissance style town center, where almost 2000 pots are set up. The mouth-watering aroma of fish and paprika bubbles into the air. Pleasant excursions can be made to the nearby Danube-Drava National Park by boat, narrow-gauge forest railway or by bicycle.

Kalocsa
Red paprika (which adds excellent flavour to dishes) drying out in garlands hanging on the eaves of houses, flower-paintings on the porches, beautiful folk embroidery and local dresses in fine lace with colorful flower motifs carry the fame of the thousand-year old Kalocsa to far away places abroad.

TThe museums of the town offer exhibitions on ethnography, fine art and science.

Kiskunság
The largest area in the region is the Kiskunság. The Cumans (kun), originally from Asia, settled in this region in the 13th century and were absorbed into Hungarian society. Their name is still carried by many small settlements and towns in the region. Kiskunság has "moving sand" dunes and the puszta landscape.

Kiskunmajsa is known for its good wine and its medicinal bath.

Kiskunfélegyháza was the hometown of the great Hungarian poet of the Alföld, Petőfi Sándor and Móra Ferenc who wrote about peasant life in the region. The Baroque Church and the Town Hall are remarkable buildings.

Kiskunhalas is famous for feather-touch lace. The secret of this extremely sophisticated lace-making technique can be seen in the Lace House.

Bugac
The Puszta of Bugac, designated by UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve, is the most visited section of the Kiskunság National Park. The breath-taking "Puszta Ötös" (Puszta Five) is the highlight of horse-shows.

The Shepherd Museum demonstrates the shepherds' everyday life, hut making and wood carvings. The history and the cultivation of the forests of the Great Plain are presented by the Great Plain Afforestation Museum. Guests can eat original puszta dishes at the restaurants Bugac Csárda and Bugac Karikás Csárda.

Lajosmizse-Bene
Many people come to the Old Farmstead Inn and Museum at Lajosmizse-Bene, attracted by the Hungarian culinary specialties, the horse shows and the exciting Gypsy music of the Puszta parties. They find a typical farmstead of the Great Hungarian Plain with horses in the stables, summer kitchen, corn-drying barns, cart-sheds and an old pigeon loft.

Kecskemét
Kecskemét is famous far and wide for the Kecskemét apricot brandy, the colourful Art Nouveau buildings decorated with ceramics and the Kodály method of musical education.

The famous buildings around the wide, impressive Kossuth Square are: the tile-roofed Town Hall, the 600 year-old Franciscan church of St. Nicholas, and the Great Church. The Cifrapalota (Fancy Palace), ornamented with colourful floral patterns, is an outstanding example of Hungarian Art Nouveau architecture. Inside, the works of Hungarian painters of the 19th and 20th centuries are displayed.

Students from all over the world come to the summer training courses of the "Zoltán Kodály" Musical Education Institute, to study the musical education methodology of the Hungarian composer, in his native city.

Many unique museums and nationally important collections have found a home here including: the Hungarian People's Applied Arts Museum, the Museum of Hungarian Naive Artists, The 'Szórakaténusz' Toy Museum and Workshop, the only photography museum in the country, and the Leskowsky Collection of Musical Instruments. The tasting and guided tour of the Zwack Fruit Brandy Distillery is a memorable experience for all visitors.

Szarvas
The Arboretum of Szarvas, located by the Holt-Körös River, is one of the largest and most beautiful `plant museums` in the country. The park includes more than 1600 species of trees and bushes, with a manicured lawn, called 'Pepi Garden'.

The 200-year-old Hungarian agricultural school founded by the internationally known scientist, Lutheran pastor Sámuel Tessedik, houses a museum of the ethnography of the region. The old dry mill is still functioning. The Slovak peasant house from the 19th century shows approximately a thousand objects. The riverside Lake is an ideal place for recreation and fishing.

Csongrád
Csongrád, a peaceful and quiet town with shaded park and pleasant beach along the Tisza river, has done its best to preserve local folk architecture. Protected fishermen's houses, built in the 19th century, can be found here. Not far from here, the Körös-torok open-air pool and recreation center welcomes visitors: the sand is smooth, the water is shallow and suitable for children.

Békéscsaba
Békéscsaba earned its fame for its extraordinarily delicious Csaba sausage and the quality books published by the Kner Publishing House. The town has the largest Slovak population in Hungary. The Great Church, Hungary's largest Lutheran Church with 2900 seats and a 70-metre tower, dominates the Kossuth Square. A multitude of attractions draw visitors here: the permanent exhibitions in the Slovak Peasant House, the Fairy-tale House, the Grain Museum and Munkácsy Memorial Museum, the International Puppet Festival, the Solo Dance Festival, the Sausage Festival, and the parachute championships.

Gyula
Flowers, rose-gardens, green parks and romantic promenades everywhere: Gyula is an ideal destination for those seeking peaceful recreation.

The town`s symbol, the 15th century Gothic castle, is the venue of the Gyula Castle Summer Open-Air Theatre performances. One of the most beautiful thermal baths in Hungary is the Castle bath in the wild park of the Almásy Palace. It has nine open-air and eleven indoor pools.

The Hundred Year Old [Százéves] Confectionery is the second oldest pastry-shop operating with the original fittings. The city's famous son is Erkel Ferenc, composer of the Hungarian national operas, Bánk bán and Hunyadi László, and the music for the Hungarian National Anthem. You can see his manuscripts and family relics in the Erkel Ferenc memorial house. The Ladics House, with exhibits about civic life, and the Dürer Hall are worth a visit. The story of the famous food product, the Gyula sausage, is presented in the Meat-trade Factory History Collection.

Orosháza
When the Turks occupied Orosháza in the 16th century, most of the Hungarian residents were killed or left the area. The rich collection of ethnography and furniture in the Szántó Kovács János Museum documents the history of eight generations of the remaining population.

The only well museum in the country presents the history of water sources beginning with primitive dug wells and ending with water towers. In the outskirts of the town you can find the favorite inn of the outlaws of the Great Hungarian Plain, the Monori Csárda. The famous Gyopárosfürdő bath and pool can be reached by a narrow gauge railway from Orosháza. Since 1869, the naturally brackish water of two artesian wells has been used to cure inflammations and rheumatic diseases.

Hódmezővásárhely
The ancient settlement of Hódmezővásárhely is renowned for its agricultural history, unique decorative wool embroidery, and colourful pottery. The Kopáncs Farm Museum gives a thorough look at farming traditions. The Regional Folk Art House, the Csúcs Pottery House and the Alföld Gallery represent the folk art of this provincial country town. Archaeological materials can be found in the Tornyai Museum.

Mezőhegyes
The Royal Horse-Breeding Institution founded in 1784, in Mezőhegyes, was one of the most important European stud farms of its time. The two Empire style triumphal arches in the indoor riding hall, the former horsemen's barracks (today a hotel full of period furniture) and the stud management office building, greet visitors with their original grace and beauty. The Wagon Museum has a collection of Hungarian cart-riding sport tools.

Many architectural rarities can be found here: the neo-Renaissance Central Restaurant, the Old Hayloft (the largest threshing house), the central granary, a particularly beautiful Empire-style building, the horse breeders' dwellings, and six grain storage towers. There are excellent hunting areas in the outskirts of the town.

Ópusztaszer
In the 9th century, the legendary Ópusztaszer in the village of Szer is the place where the conquering Hungarian tribes gathered to hold the first national assembly and adopt the first laws. The statue of their leader Árpád stands in the National History Memorial Park. The greatest attraction here, visited by hundreds of thousands, is the Feszty Panorama, one of the largest paintings in the world, portraying the 'Entry of Hungarians' into the Carpathian Basin. The panorama, created in 1894, depicting approximately 2000 people on 1760 square metres, gives a special experience of space. The Panorama is housed in a building specially made for it.

In the garden of ruins, the Benedictine monastery of Szer displays its history. Archaeologists reconstructed the bronze St Gellert bell (that weighs over 1000 pounds) from 2000 separate pieces. You can spend hours among the exhibits and programs of the Open-air Ethnographic Collection, all faithfully reproducing the lifestyle of the Great Hungarian Plain in the 19th century.

Szeged
Szeged is called the "Sunny City" with 2100-hour sunshine per year. It is the biggest city of the Southern Great Plain, situated at the confluence of the rivers Tisza and Maros.

After the great floods of the "Grey Tisza" in 1879, a well-planned new city was built. There are many wonderful buildings in Eclectic and Art Nouveau style. The traditional sparkling cultural atmosphere and the good schools of Szeged nurtured many a great writer, poet and scientist. The Nobel-prize laureate Albert Szent-Györgyi gained global renown when he separated pure vitamin C from paprika, the spice of Szeged.

The famous buildings of Dome Square are: the Bishop's Palace, the Theological College, institutions of the University and the Catholic boarding school, and the neo-Romanesque style Bishop's Cathedral. The Dome Square serves as the scene of the internationally renowned Szeged Outdoor Festival each summer. Figures of the square's musical clock can be seen for 9 minutes after the chimes of noon each day.

The treasure of the near-by Greek Orthodox Serb Church is a rococo iconostasis. Széchenyi Square is dominated by the Art Nouveau tower building of the City Hall. The monumental Moorish-Art Nouveau New Synagogue building is one of the most beautiful Jewish temples of Europe. The majestic atmosphere of its interior is provided by the white-gold-blue ornamentation. The replica of the internationally renowned Black Madonna painting of Czestochowa (Poland) can be found in the Church of Our Lady of the Snow.

The Móra Ferenc Museum - documenting the activities of Mr. Móra, the writer, archaeologist and museum director - represents one of the richest collections of archaeology in the country. A variety of fine arts, natural science and regional folk art objects are exhibited here, too. The inimitable Pick salami and the Szeged paprika - the special ingredient of Hungarian dishes - are the world-famous products of the city. A good measure of this paprika gets into the Szeged fish soup, which is at its best only if cooked in Szeged.