My life in Pécs

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Pécs

Also see: My Pecs, Hungary, Jeber Gallery

Pecs is a city in the south west of Hungary, renowned for its beatiful architecture, Zsolnay porcelin and laid back life style. Originally the city was settled by the Romans, they called it Sopianae, evidence of this name still survives today on buildings and in the name of a local brand of cigarettes.

The city sits at the base of the Mecsek, a range of low mountains stretching north. At the top of the closest hill stands a 172m TV tower. The Mecsek is criss-crossed with footpaths - easy walking in attractive oak and beech forests.

Szechenyi Ter, the town’s square is the centre. The main streets radiate away from the square and along them small shops, boutiques, bars and restaurants are situated. At top of Szechenyi Ter is the Mosque Church, dating back to the times when the area was occupied by the Turks. The Turks upon invading in 1543’s destroyed the church and used the materials to construct a mosque. When the area was reclaimed in the 1700’s the Hungarians, replaced the minaret with a cross, saving the trouble of reconstruction and leaving the city with a monument that serves to remind all of the history of the city. Some of the city’s most beautiful buildings are found near the Dom Cathedral.

There are many hotels in the city, but the only hostels are student dormitories vacated during the summer. Efficient and cheap buses can take you all over the town, till 11pm. During term time the city’s universities cause the 160,000 population to increase by an additional 25,000 as the students arrive to study. With the students comes the night-life, clubs and bars are very common in the city, and for an Englishman the beer is very very cheap.

I arrived after a journey from Krakow - I slept through Slovakia. I negotiated the Budapest Underground, and got on the correct train, failed to buy the compulsory seat reservation but was let off by a kindly inspector - a quite rare occurrence. The reason for my passing straight through is that my girlfriend, Sara, studies in Pécs, at the Medical University. This was around six months ago, I have since got to know the town really well. I have friends here and a rented room where I leave my things when I’m not travelling. I have a lot of catching up to do on my blogs - and a fair few will be from Pécs.

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Photos

Pecs, Hungary
Pécs, Magyarország

The Dom Cathederal Pecs
A Dom Templom Pécs

Comments

[Knut]

Nice photos
Nice photos. - also the ones form the area around Pecs. Lived there 2 years in the mid nineties. Interesting to see the changes. Have forgotten most of my hungarian though :-(