Debrecen, Hungary: Culture, Thermal Baths and Travel Planning

Hardly anyone knows it: Debrecen, Hungary’s second-largest city. Debrecen lies in eastern Hungary, near the Romanian border. For Hungary enthusiasts, it’s an insider tip in the country’s most beautiful region. The Hortobágy Puszta lies right on its doorstep and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as Europe’s last continuous steppe landscape.
 
As early as the 16th century, Debrecen was considered a center of Hungary’s intellectual elite. Clear signs of this were its 14 guilds, 50 trades and a large university. Debrecen was a stronghold of the Reformed Church and was known as the “Rome of the Calvinists.” The 1849 revolution began here, when Lajos Kossuth read the declaration of Hungary’s independence from the Habsburgs in the Great Church. The 1956 uprising was also sparked by Debrecen intellectuals.

The city’s eventful history is most clearly reflected in its buildings. Not visiting these landmarks would amount to disregarding that history. Debrecen has numerous sights waiting to be discovered. Foremost among them is the Great Church, a Reformed church with an interesting floor plan and a vertically articulated façade. Right next door is the Reformed College, still a university today as well as a museum of the Calvinist movement. Its library, with its rare books, is a showpiece, while the school museum is a true gem. At the nearby Déri Museum, the highlight is the Munkácsy Hall, with its monumental Jesus Trilogy by the world-famous artist. A striking contrast to the Great Reformed Church is the Baroque Cathedral of St. Anne on the street of the same name, which played an important role in the city’s history: in 1715, the parliament made Debrecen’s retention of its “Free Royal City” title conditional on the construction of a Catholic church in this almost entirely Reformed city. Today, the city of Hungarian intellectuals is home to three universities, which also attract international students.

The lifeline of modern Debrecen is Piac utca, a straight avenue lined with Neoclassical and Art Nouveau buildings. Every August, Piac utca becomes a huge stage: the Flower Carnival, one of the city’s best-known festivals, transforms the grand boulevard into a sea of blossoms for the parade.

The city’s undisputed recreational paradise, however, is a park in the heart of the city: the “Great Forest.” Debrecen’s green lung, with its rowing lake, zoo and amusement park, has a very special attraction: thermal springs, the basis for the city’s bathing and spa center. Debrecen is one of Hungary’s most important spa towns, and its bathing complex includes five thermal pools and seven swimming pools, including an Olympic-size pool.

The latest attraction is the Aquaticum Erlebniscenter, a tropical bathing paradise topped by a 66-meter-high glass dome, with real palm trees and countless attractions.

Source: Urlaub-heute