Countryside Guides: Kecskemét

As the sister city of the English town of Coventry, you might be concerned that a trip to Kecskemét as the Magyar equivalent of "being sent to Coventry." But allay such fears; this city on the plain is a place of manifold delights. Kecskemét is in fact the largest city on the Southern Great Plain and entirely accessible from Budapest, with trains running regularly from Nyugati Station, and buses from Népstadion. Yet visitors to Kecskemét are often surprised to learn they are visiting a city of over 100,000 people - perhaps because there's something of the unspoiled village about this place.

With a name derived from the word "kecske," Hungarian for goat (!), the history of Kecskemét is as old as that of Hungary itself: The conquering Magyars first settled here when they arrived in the 9th century. The city was first mentioned in a charter as a "market town" in 1368. Precious little remains of those days, but parts of the Franciscan Church of St Nicholas on Kossuth tér in the center of town date back to the late 14th century. By medieval times, Kecskemét was a thriving market town: the third largest in Hungary. History has been relatively benign to Kecskemét. For while the city did not entirely escape the consequences of the Turkish invasion, it was eventually to fall under the protection of the Sultan himself. This was vastly preferable to being administered by one of his many "Spahi" (the Ottoman equivalent to the Robber Baron).

Aside from St. Nicholas, other important religious buildings in Kecskemét include the 17th century Calvinist Church, instantly recognizable by its red tower. Beside it is the Calvinist New College, built in 1912 but resembling nothing so much as a Transylvanian castle. The Catholic Great Church built in 1806 and sometimes referred to as the Old Church, is flamboyantly Baroque in style, and the largest Church on the Southern Great Plain. On a sadder but all-too familiar note, the town's white, onion-domed Synagogue was ransacked by the in 1944 during the Nazi deportation of the town’s Jewish population. It was eventually re-opened as the House of Science and Technology (Technika és Tudomány Háza). The interior was refurbished in garish 1970s style.

For Hungarians, Kecskemét has several significant claims to fame, not least for its barackpálinka, the potent apricot brandy made here. You can taste this heady brew, and see how it is made at the Zwack Fruit Brandy Distillery and Museum. The town is also known as the birthplace of József Katona and Zoltán Kodály. The former, a playwright known as the father of modern Hungarian drama, quite a distinction in a theater-mad country, lived in Kecskémet his entire life - from 1791 to 1830. He is memorialized by the József Katona Theater and József Katona Museum, (which itself is on József Katona street). Outside the city's landmark Town Hall is another memorial to the ill-fated dramatist: a statue erected on the very spot he died of a heart attack. Meanwhile the 20th century musicologist and composer Zoltán Kodály's work lives on in the internationally recognized Zoltán Kodály Institute of Musical Education.

Finding your way around Kecskemét shouldn't be too difficult - two town squares, both of which are more like small, leafy parks, dominate the city center. They are Szabadság tér, sometimes simply referred to as the Main Square, and Kossuth tér. Both commemorate the spirit of freedom, as Szabadság tér translates to "Freedom Square," and Kossuth tér is named after Lajos Kossuth, leader of the failed 1848-9 revolt against Hungary's Hapsburg masters.

The region around Kecskemét produces a third of Hungary's total wine output, though it is more notable for its quantity than its quality. It is also a major manufacturer of the renowned Hungarian delicacy, foie gras or goose liver. Encircled as it is by vineyards and orchards, some of which seem to creep inside city limits, Kecskemét is known sometimes as the "Garden City." Due to the city's prosperity in the 19th century, it is also home to some of the country's most spectacular architecture, in the unique "Hungarian Romantic" (or Historical Eclectic) style, combining the Art Nouveau or Secessionist style with elements of native folk art. Probably the most famous example is its Town Hall, built during the final years of the 19th century by Ödön Lechner. Nicknamed the Hungarian Gaudi, Lechner would later apply his distinctive style to some of Budapest's better known public buildings, such as the Museum of Applied Arts. His influence can also be seen in Kecskemét's splendid Otthon Cinema.

In 1912, Kecskemét officially became home to an artists' colony and the arts are well-represented here. That said, arguably the most interesting thing about the Kecskemét Art Gallery is the building it is housed in: the Cifra Palace, sort of Hungarian Romanticism squared. Kecskemét however is home to a plethora of interesting specialist museums. One of the most notable is as the Hungarian Folk Craft Museum, housed aptly in an old farmhouse. The relatively new "Museion" at the International Ceramics Center is dedicated to showcasing new works from a busy little hub of ceramic innovation. Also worth your time is the Photography Museum – until recently the only photography museum in the country, and the Toy Museum, with its collection of 19th and 20th century toys. The Medical and Pharmaceutical Museum merits a quick visit, while the eclectic collection of musical instruments at the Leskowsky Musical Instrument Collection and its eccentric curator make for a unique museum-going experience.

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