Kalocsa

This atmospheric city in the central Danube plain is as old as the Hungarian state. An ancient centre of Hungarian Catholicism it boasts unequalled ecclesiastic heritage. Today name of the settlement is inseparable from its ground spice paprika and the decorative Kalocsa embroidery.

The city is the archepiscopal seat of the 1000 years old Kalocsa-Kecskemét Diocese. King Stephen I established the archbishopric in this fortified town in 1001. The first archbishop here was Astrik, who brought the crown to the king from the pope.

In the course of battles during the Turkish times in the 16th century Kalocsa was burnt to ashes on several occasions and towards the end of the occupation it ended up a small serfs' village. In the 18th century the serfs were arranged into groups on the enormous outskirts of the city. Some of these farmsteads (szállások) gradually developed into individual villages. As a result, on 1st January 1898 the communities of Homokmégy and Szakmár constituted themselves independently of Kalocsa. The inhabitants of the city and its 25 associated 'szállás' settlements together create the Pota ethnographic group.

Alongside the architectural heritage of the archepiscopal seat of Kalocsa, invaluable ecclesiastic artefacts have survived from as early as the 12th century. These can be seen in the Archepiscopal Treasury (Érseki Kincstár). Established in the 8th century and today in a splendid Baroque environment the cathedral library also treasures items of great rarity.

The 'distinguishing features' of Kalocsa are folk arts and ground paprika. The local handcrafts and arts of the region, including the famed Kalocsa embroidery, are presented in the Regional House of Folk Arts (Népművészeti Tájház). There is also a museum dedicated to paprika which introduces the entire process and equipment of ground paprika production.

How to get there:
By car, the town can be reached on Route 51 and also from Kiskőrös and Hajós. It is on the Kiskőrös-Kalocsa railway line.