Magyar News, 2001. szeptember-2002. augusztus (12. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2002-07-01 / 11-12. szám

Page 4

When it comes to Hungary’s geography people usually mention the the Plains, Great and Small, also the mountain areas. But among these and many others the southern influence of the Adriatic Sea very seldom becomes the topic of conversation. This are is the Mediterranean climate

rightfully represented by the city Pécs. Yes Hungary has a Mediterranean city.

Pécs gracefully spreads on the southern slopes of the Mecsek Mountain. The climate is special and the flora is special. The people aren’t different, they are Hungarians.

The city was founded two thousand years ago, and is the biggest town of the Transdanubian area (population 180,000). In the middle of the 19th century Pécs was a small town with 15,000 inhabitants, but by the turn of the century it grew to 42,000, and by the end of the 1930s more than 70,000 people lived in the town. The architectural development was especially quick during the period between 1870-90. Factories and plants were set up one after the other, and by the end of the 1890s Pécs turned into a prosperous industrial town. The Zsolnay Factory, the Tannery, the Glove Factory and the Champagne Factory have also played important roles in the industrial life of the region and the country.

Now, it is a wonderful mixture of the

Left: Peter and Paul burial vault. The two painted figures are pointing to the Christogram. Right: A wall painting of Adam and Eve. Below: The Pitcher burial vault.

past and the present. The medieval townwalls, the relics of Turkish architecture - the mosques, the minaret and the bath - the four-towered Cathedral, All Saints’ Church, which happens to be the oldest church in town, attract a great number of visitors from all over the world. The Main Square - today Széchenyi Square - has always had a significant function in the town’s life. In the 1880s it was a more peaceful place than nowadays. At that time it was surrounded by one- and two-story houses. Later large town houses were built in eclectic style.

During the Turkish occupation there were Djamils and minaret’s built.