Key Projects

Zsolnay Cultural Quarter

A new chapter will open in the history of the Zsolnay Factory, whose name has nearly been identified with the city of Pécs. One of the most prominent investment projects of the European Capital of Culture programme is the establishment of the Zsolnay Cultural Quarter with a total ground floor space of some 41 thousand square metres on the premises of the reviving Zsolnay Factory. The factory that is currently in operation on the site will move to the eastern blocks, making room for a cultural and artistic area that will not only be a new patch of colour on the palette of the city but the residents of Pécs will be able to add a novel facility to their wealth that will lure people to relaxation and recreation rich in content. The Zsolnay Cultural Quarter is planned to host some 200 thousand visitors every year with its informative visitor's centre, car park, cafés, university community spaces and lively cultural life. The project will improve the quality of the park in the Zsolnay Factory that includes decorative, valuable plants, monument sculptures and vases. Together with the building complex on it the entire facility will be broken up into four Quarters by function:

Craftsman's Quarter This quarter will include the most impressive buildings richly decorated with building ceramics, which will be home to an exhibition presenting the history of the Zsolnay family and the factory, a secessionist café, a craftsman's street, living quarters and spaces that serve artistic enterprises.

Creative Quarter This quarter will be established by reviving the former pyrogranite plant and its neighbourhood, which will be home to exhibition halls presenting contemporary art, studios, creative workshops, rehearsal rooms and premises for organising various events for young people.

Family and Children's Quarter The heart of the quarter will be the Bóbita Puppet Theatre that will move into the Green House (the former DO-ZSO, a cultural centre) and offer new, colourful programmes to children and adults alike in the renewed venue. Furthermore, different arts and crafts activities, a family playground, an open air stage and an interactive exhibition of industrial history quite similar to the "Palace of Wonders" in Budapest will make the time of visitors eventful and exciting.

University Quarter The southern section of the Zsolnay Cultural Quarter bounded by road No. 6 will be home to the Faculty of Music and Visual Arts, creating an ideal location for establishing a centre for training in the arts at a European level.

Due to the construction works we expect significant changes in traffic that will strongly affect the neighbourhood of Zsolnay Street. The southern section will have a high capacity car park which will be accessible through a new junction to be built on road No. 6.

The international open design competition was announced by the municipality of Pécs in January 2008.
Actual construction work started in July 2009, following previous preparatory works carried out on utilities since autumn 2007.