Pécs 2010 European Capital of Culture

Pécs, the City without borders – it was with this title that the regional centre of Southern Danubia won the competition to be European Capital of Culture in 2010.

The City’s multi-cultural nature derives from the fact that it has always been open-minded, a potential space where even those cultures could meet which are not normally interactive, such as those of Western Europe with the Balkan cultures, the German and the Turkish.  Pécs preserves the ages of millennia alongside each other with its architectural memorials from many peoples and nationalities.  The face of the town is enriched with the early Christian underground town, the Mosque, Minaret and Türbe of the Turks, the tiny houses of the Bulgarian gardeners in narrow streets clinging to the side of Havi Hill, and the Secessionist palaces decorated with Zsolnay ceramic work.

Pécs a part of the UNESCO World Heritage.  The historical city centre of Pécs boasts the richest collection of Roman remains in all Central Europe and in light of this was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 2000.

Pécs of the Turkish period.  There is no other settlement in Hungary where so many Turkish remains can be found.  It is no accident that visitors to the area during the Turkish occupation compared it to the Garden of Eden.

The thousand-year old Pécs Bishopric. The four-towered Saint Peter Cathedral is the emblematic building of Pécs. Even if you have only half day to spend in town you should not miss it.   The building of the predecessor of today’s cathedral, the seat of the Pécs Bishopric, began in 1009, during the reign of King Peter Orseolo.  Only the crypt remains of the 11th century cathedral, which at its time was the fourth largest in Europe. 

Pécs the town of Zsolnay ceramics. The character of the city is partly provided by the rich ceramic decoration of various facades and the coloured, patterned roofs originating from the Zsolnay Porcelain Manufacture, which has been functioning in Pécs for over 150 years.

Pécs the city of modern arts.  A visitor to Pécs desiring to become acquainted with the individual artistic values of the city can choose at will from a colourful and varied palette. i.e. Vasarely Museum, Modern Hungarian Museum to name a few. 

(excerpt from the Pécs 2010 European Capital of Culture brochure  http://en.pecs2010.hu