Debrecen

For several hundred years Debrecen has been the natural centre of culture, economy and commerce in the Northern Great Plain region. Thousands of visitors come each year to this city which has a wealth of cultural relics and historic and ecclesiastic sights, as well as its festivals and spa.

The medieval settlement was established at the meeting point of three regions; the Nyírség, the Hajdúság and the Hortobágy. The trade route connecting Transylvania with Upper Hungary (today Slovakia) and Poland crossed the town thus elevating it to significance.

Due to conscious land purchasing policies Debrecen's territory was extended significantly during the 16th and 17th century and thus its border reached as far as the River Tisza. Based on aristocratic and religious values, the strict Calvinist leadership of the city always bore the interests of the populace in mind, efficiently protecting them. It is not by chance that Debrecen is the capital of Protestant theological education, a stronghold of the Hungarian Reformed community to this day. More recently it has become the seat of a Roman Catholic diocese, too.

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Following the Trianon Peace Treaty Debrecen had to assumed the role of Oradea/Nagyvárad, a nearby large city annexed to Romania. Debrecen has been the seat of Hajdú County since 1876 and of Hajdú-Bihar County since 1950. When, in 2000, Hungary was organised into seven regions Debrecen deservedly became the official centre of the Northern Great Plain regionconsisting of the counties of Hajdú-Bihar, Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok and Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg.

Acknowledged throughout Europe, the Reformed College has made Debrecen a renowned college town for hundreds of years. Debrecen University unites the city's universities of science, medicine and agriculture, its colleges, and the István Wargha Teacher Training College at Hajdúböszörmény, many of them boasting a great past, thus creating a multi-campus university in a Western European sense. High quality research work carried out in the local institutions makes Debrecen one of Hungary's scientific centres.

Debrecen is a venue of several events which are also important tourist attractions. Outstanding among them are the annual Flower Parade and Carnival (Virágkarnevál) on the 20th of August, the Debrecen Spring Festival, the Debrecen Jazz Days staged annually since 1972, and the Béla Bartók International Choir Competition, a prestigious European music event.

With several decades of history, the Debrecen Summer School (Nyári Egyetem) deserves a special mention. Diplomats preparing for service in Hungary, university students interested in the country and the language as well as second or even third generation of Hungarians born and living abroad are among those who arrive to join the courses. Participants take good experiences back to their home countries thus spreading Debrecen's and Hungary's excellent reputation abroad.

How to get there:
By railway, Debrecen is served from Budapest and Nyíregyháza. By bus, local Volán coaches run to the city from Eger. By car, take the M3 motorway, and Road 35 or 4 between Nyíregyháza and Budapest, Road 47 from the south, Road 48 from the east, or Road 471 from the northeast.