Pécs - The Borderless City

The city of cultural heritage and cultural innovation

It is a 2000 year-old city of artistic innovation. The past of the city spanning over several thousand years passed down to us several important monuments of architecture, such as the early Christian burial chambers included in the World Heritage List, each of which our city recently managed to turn into a form that can now be presented to visitors. The 4th century Christian cemetery of the Sopianae of the Roman age – today's Pécs – was included in the list of cultural treasures by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in 2000. With its architecture and wall paintings the building complex explored here illustrates the early Christian burial architecture and art of the northern and western Roman provinces in a very complex and many-sided way. The crypts and chapels under the ground bear witness to the perseverance and strong faith of Christian communities living in the Europe of the late Roman era and present the roots of a culture and civilisation that are still alive and exert their influence even today.

The Turkish occupation of Hungary also had a strong impact on the city's image. Hungary's largest Turkish building, the former mosque of Pasha Gázi Kászim, today functioning as a Catholic church, dates back to this era. Pécs is proud to have the only mosque in Hungary with an intact minaret, which was made suitable for its original function by the support of the Turkish government, functioning now as a place of worship for the Turkish community living here.

The cultural heritage of Pécs is not confined only to architectural treasures. The city boasts numerous citizens who created something outstanding in their own age and remain with us forever through their intellectual achievements. The traditional Zsolnay family established a porcelain factory here that still operates in the city. Internationally renowned artists used to live here, like Victor Vasarely and Amerigo Tot, whose works can be seen in permanent exhibitions. Contemporary art also constitutes an integral part of the city's life. Every week of the year sees the opening of an exhibition, a first night performance in the theatre or an event of contemporary literature somewhere in the city. The University of Pécs is the only institution outside the capital that offers training in music and visual arts – even at the doctoral level. Thanks to this, the city offers several opportunities for cultural development projects on the basis of the rich heritage of many thousand years.