Szeged

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Szeged is the largest city in Southern Hungary, next to the Serbian border.
Szeged has long tradition in hungarian culture thanks to its large university, and sparkling public life. Downtown of Szeged is full of outdoor cafes, restaurants, beautiful squares, historical sights.
River Tisza, the second largest river in Hungary, split the city in two, the old and new szeged.

Sights of Szeged, sightseeing

Szechenyi square
We kindly invite you for a pleasant stroll setting off from one of the most attractive and largest squares of Central Europe, Szechenyi ter shaded by tree rarities and adorned by sculptures of artistic works. On the side closer to the River Tisza one can see the Carrara white marble statue of Istvan Szechenyi, the next is the bronze statue of the Tisza-regulator, Pal Vasarhelyi, which holds the marble plaque indicating the high water level of 1970, inserted into its base. The third statue in the line depicts Lajos Tisza by Janos Fadrusz and Ferenc Deak by Gyorgy Zala as the fourth. On the other side of the square in front of the City Hall are situated the symbolic groups of The Blessing and The Devastating River Tisza made of bronze. The next statue depicts Kuno Klebelsberg by Miklos Melocco and the last sculpture in the square is the couple of Saint Stephen and his queen, Gisella by Sandor Kligl. Among the buildings around the square the Hotel Tisza is worth mentioning which is a literary, historical and artistic memorial place visited by a number of writers, poets and composers in the past. On the western side of the square next to the City Hall stands the classical style Zsoter House built by the famous Zsoter merchant family.

Klauzal square
From Szechenyi ter we arrive at Klauzal ter through Karasz utca which is the thoroughfare of Szeged and decorated by the 'Greeting' statues by Peter Parkanyi who welcome visitors to the city which radiates cheerful festival atmosphere from early spring to late autumn. At the Dugonics ter end of Karasz utca is situated the statue group of 'Street Music' by Sandor Kligl. In the middle of the Mediterranian-inspired Klauzal ter stands the first full-size full-figure statue of Lajos Kossuth. On the ground floor of the New Zsoter House situated around the square is the 'Virag' Cake Shop the favourite gathering place of Szeged citizens and visitors. The classical style Karasz House on the square is another building of great importance from its balcony Lajos Kossuth delivered his last speech in Hungary before his exile in 1849. Franz Joseph stayed in the building in 1857 during his visit in Szeged. The other splendid ornament of this square is the Well of Kings by Klara Tobias.

Arad Martyrs square
The equestrian statue of Ferenc Rakoczi II. by Gyorgy Vastagh jr. and the Memorial Column to the Battle of Szoreg are situated on the square. Names of the thirteen generals who died martyr deaths at Arad are listed on a marble plaque placed at the foot of the Memorial. In an attractive early eclectic building situated on the side from the direction of the River Tisza there is the world famous Bolyai Institute. In the building, which formerly was the Piarist Grammar School and friary, Gyula Juhasz a poet of Szeged also studied. In Rerrich Bela ter situated behind the building there is a replica depicting St George the Dragon slayer by the Kolozsvari brothers. On the other side of the square there is a memorial statue to 1956 by Miklos Melocco. The Heroes' Gate erected in honour of the soldiers who died during the First World World, connects Boldogasszony sgt. and Aradi Vertanuk tere. On the arch of the Gate we find a fresco by Vilmos Aba-Novak where besides the patron saints of Saint George and Saint Borbala and the crucifix holders the painter himself is also among the depicted figures. Under the main arch is the figure of Christ resurrected, the chorus of angels surrounds him with trumpets, waiting for the moment of the Last Judgement. This is the same place where Miklos Horthy marched in to Szeged in front of the National Army on March 18, 1920, on the same avenue where the Gate is located. The square is bordered by the Bishop's Palace and university buildings on the side of the Dom ter. We can walk to Dom ter through a gate from Aradi Vertanuk tere.

Dom square and the Dom



In its size Dom ter is exactly the same as Saint Mark Square in Venice, 12.000 m2 and is the venue of the internationally known Szeged Open Air Festival held first in 1931 and also houses the National Pantheon inspirited by Kuno Klebelsberg the first Hungarian Minister of Religion and Education. The National Pantheon, placed under the arcades of the homogeneous northern European style, red clinker brick buildings includes the statues and low-reliefs of all the Hungarian eminencies of history, literature, arts and natural sciences. On the plaza stands the oldest historic monument of the city: the Saint Demetrius Tower. Its foundation is from the 11th century, its lower, square-like roman style part and its upper, early gothic levels are from the 13th century. Carved stones from the roman-era and saved from the demolished castle are included in the orders of arches of the doorway and its spandrel holds the oldest sculptural monument of the city, the copy of the 12th century Stone Lamb. The wrought iron door, the artwork of smith master Janos Bille, the 'Door of Life', shows the various moments in life through Christian symbols. After the great flood of 1879 the municipal board made a vow to erect a monumental Votive Church, which is now a cathedral decorated with numerous mosaics, statues and low-reliefs inside and outside. Europe's third largest church organ with 9,040 pipes is in the Cathedral. One of the most remarkable artistic work among the inside statues is 'Christ on the Cross' by Janos Fadrusz who won Grand Prix in Paris in 1900. Another curiosity is on the ceiling of the sanctuary where Maria is depicted dressed in shepherd's felt cloak and Szeged slippers in mosaics. In the crypt of the Cathedral eminent clerical personalities are buried. Coming out from the Cathedral and walking to the Dom ter we find several research institutions in the surrounding buildings including the biochemistry institute where in 1937 Albert Szent-Gyorgyi received Noble Prize for Medicine for his research work carried out here.

Musical clock
One of the specialities of the square is the musical clock as a symbol of mediaeval universities built in the wall of the square's building opposite to the main entrance of the Cathedral. The clock, unique in Hungary is by Ferenc Csuri Szeged clockmaker and its figures are by Jozsef Kulai woodcarver. On the doors of the ornamented clock the eminencies of the university council come out and graduating students walk around at every hour, modelled after Kuno Klebelsberg, Andras Dugonics, Kelemen Mikes, Ferenc Kazincy, Sandor Petofi, Istvan Vedres and others. It was in 1936 when for the first time the musical clock played its tunes during the Open Air Festival.
Open: 1st Apr-31st Oct Tu-Sun: 10am-6pm,
Closed: on Mondays 1st Nov-31st March,
Tue-Sun: 10am-4pm, Closed: on Mondays

Serbian Orthodox Church
On the northern side of Dom square is situated the Serbian Orthodox Church. This beautiful baroque construction was erected in honour of Saint Nicholas in 1778. The strongly articulated main parapet, the arched tympanum and the wall vases are worth attention. The Serbs came to Szeged first during the Turkish period in the 16th century, and later in the 18th and 19th centuries they played an important role in the commercial life of Szeged settling down mainly in the most ancient part of the city, in the Plank and in fewer number in Upper-town as well. Entering inside the church a mystical atmosphere captivates visitors and the iconostasion embellished richly with gold by Janos Popovics immediately strikes the eyes. No wonder this is one of the most beautiful works of this kind in the country. The icons with their baroque influence, the smell of the fuming incense and the candlelight all contribute to the special mystical atmosphere. The pope living in the house opposite to the church is only too happy to show the church to inquirers all year round. The Somogyi Library is also on Dom ter, housing the Csongrad County Archives including the founder Karoly Somogyi's monumental book collection and the municipal library.

The Black House
The Szeged Academy Committee is situated at the corner of Somogyi and Oskola utca representing the most beautiful memento of classical style in Szeged built under the designs by Jozsef Hild in 1868 and originally functioned as the first Hotel Hungaria of Szeged. Walking in Somogyi utca we arrive at romantic english style Black House decorated with a corner balcony. It has got its name after its earlier dark grey colour. In 1857 it was originally constructed as a civic-commercial house based on the designs by Karoly Gerster. Between 1860-1865 it housed the town centre casino, but for many decades it has been functioning as the exhibition venue for the historical department of the Ferenc Mora Museum housing several temporary exhibitions.
Open: Tue: 10am -3pm, Sat-Sun: 10am - 5pm
Closed: on Mondays

The National Theatre of Szeged


Opposite to the Kass Hotel can be seen the obtruding lovely building of the Szeged National Theatre, which just like the Budapest Vig Theatre was constructed by the famous Viennese theatre builder and designer company Hellmer and Fellner in eclectic neo Baroque style. It opened in 1883 and burned out in 1885, but a year later in 1886 it could open again. The facade of the theatre is ornamented by the statues of Ferenc Erkel and Jozsef Katona by Antal Tapai. The ceiling frescoes inside are by Zsigmond Vajda. We have to mention the names of some great actors and actresses who performed on stage here; like Sari Fedak, Gyula Hegedus, Tivadar Bilicsi, Pal Javor, Lili Nemenyi, Antal Pager, Margit Dayka and among the outstanding personalities of the opera genre Jozsef Simandy, Erzsebet Komlossy and many others. The theatre now provides performances in the genres of drama, opera and ballet.

Anna Bath
The steam bath, as the local people call it, opened its gates on 6 September, 1896. It was designed by Antal Steinhardt and Adolf Lang in eclectic style with features characteristic of Turkish baths (i.e. cupolas and the intimate interior parts). The symmetry of the 117 m long building was given by the separate baths for women and men. In 1927 the artesian water was replaced with thermal and medicinal water. Following several reconstructions, the latest was finished in 2004, when the symmetry is already given by the medicinal and wellness baths. The previous one is preferred by the senior generation, the latter one by the junior generation. The courtyard with its Mediterranean atmosphere hosts open-air theatre performances in summer.

City Hall


The neo-baroque style City Hall is among the eclectic palaces embracing Szechenyi ter. Its foundation stone was laid down in 1799 designed and built by Istvan Vedres and Janos Schwortz. In 1883, it was redone after damaged by flood on the original foundation into a new one-storey building by odon Lechner and Gyula Partos. The City Hall is connected with the 'Bridge of Sighs', to the neighbouring council house, which was constructed for the King-days in 1883, when Franz Joseph took a visit in the city reconstructed after the great flood of 1879. The lodgings of the King and his companion were divided between the two buildings, so thus a closed bridge was constructed to create an easy access between them. Coloured window glasses ornament the staircase on one of which the famous saying, thought by Franz Joseph; can be read Szeged will be more splendid than it has ever been before! Oil paintings decorate the council hall and the ceiling fresco is by Zsigmond Vajda. In summer the charming courtyard of the Town Hall is the venue of chamber concerts held within the Musical Court events and prose performances are also held under the name of 'City Hall Evenings'.

The Reok Palace
At the corner of Tisza Lajos krt. and Kolcsey utca is situated the Reok Palace, a typical sample of the so called Ungarischer Jugendstill designed and constructed by Ede Magyar in 1907. The designer, who died at young age, spent his barely eight-year of working period in Szeged. He travelled across the essential artistic centres of Europe and returning home, entrusted by the engineer, Ivan Reok he designed the Reok Palace using his experiences. On the facade of the building and in its staircase uniquely beautiful sylised wrote-iron flower catch the viewers' eyes made by Pal Fekete after Ede Magyar's drawings. This typical Spanish Antoni Gaudi type building is among the most attractive ones of this style in Europe. The Szeged citizens call the building simply 'The Horse's Rump' because it stands behind an equestrian hussar statue erected in honour of the heroes of the First World War. We continue our stroll from here to Dugonics ter.

Getting around in Szeged, How to get to Szeged

By train: There are regular Intercity train connection between Budapest and Szeged.
Check timetable,prices
By car: on highway M5,you have to buy toll ticket at petrolstation or by sms

Public transportation in Szeged

Rely on trams, buses and trolley buses. Single ticket : 280HUF (350HUF at driver), daily ticket: 860HUF, 3days ticket : 2150 HUF.
See the transportation map

Clubs in Szeged

Szeged is a University town and it has a very active night life throughout the school year. The high school and college crowd gets mixed up at most places, although some clubs try to target specific age groups with their events.

Most places have entrance fees, but offer discounts if you have a student ID. Regular fees are around 500-1000 Forints depending on the day of the week, the place and the event. Parties are advertised to start early at night, but the crowd doesn't start to gather really until about midnight or 1AM (!!!) and usually party until the morning. This is true even on weekdays (for example Wednesday is a very big party night). Many times people meet at local pubs for a drink and talks before hitting these places.

GinTonic - This is a club in the basement of the older Tisza Hotel in downtown Szeged. It has dance nights every Friday. It is in the same block as Retro, but on the other side of the building. This is a highly popular party place among foreign students who study in the city. They usually play the latest popular dance songs. The entrance fee is about 800 Forints.
JATE Klub - This is one of the popular university clubs that is open during the day as well as at night. There is a large bar section and several dance floors with different types of music. Concerts and other cultural events are also common here. If the evening appears to be slow, the crowd might go over to the SZOTE Klub (which is true vice-versa). The high school and college crowd blends really well in this place. They play all types of music from alternative through the latest popular dance songs to older hungarian favorites. Sometimes they collect entrance fees, but you can get in without a fee if you get there earlier.
Retro - this is a newer coffee house, that turns into a dance club at night. Dance nights are held on Fridays and Saturdays. The place mostly attracts graduates, late 20s and above. They like to play songs from the 80s, 90s and of course today's hits. Entrance fee is around 1000 Forints.
Sing-Sing - this is one of the largest dance clubs in Southern Hungary. It is located right next to Szeged's main bus station and farmer's market. This club usually attracts the younger high-school crowd (their average age is probably around 20). It is well known for its semi-monhtly nude (both male and female) dance shows, concerts with invited guests and teen parties. They usually play the latest dance hits.
SZOTE Klub - It is the same type of university club as JATE located by the Votive church, on the opposite side from the main library. The main party nights are: Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Majority of people partying here are in their 20s. Don't expect many people showing up before 1-1:30AM! They play the latest dance hits, with a mix of the 80s and 90s. Entrance fee is 700 Forints, but they have student discounts as well.