Countryside Guides: Debrecen

A center of Calvinism that reverberates to the sound of a famous Jazz festival; a city on the plain rich in Art Nouveau grandeur; a trading place for centuries; a celebrated seat of learning. It's all true of Debrecen, Hungary's second city.

The religious-historical significance of this city is summed up by its oft-used epithet "The Calvinist Rome," with its Great Church (Nagytemplon), the largest Protestant Church in Hungary, and nearby, the Reformed College (Református Kollégium). The Calvinist Rome: To modern day sensibilities that might sound akin to an "Amish Paris," but this city of around 200,000 people is in fact a colorful and charming reliquary of Protestant culture. And with a large student population and lively calendar of festivals, Debrecen does not lack for entertainment: some of it to be found on-stage at the Byzantine-influenced Csokonai Theatre. Culture is also well-represented, not least by the distinctive collections that comprise the Déri Museum; ranging from Ancient Egyptian artifacts to 19th century Realist Art by Mihály Munkácsy. Local handicrafts are a continual work-in-progress at the Tímár ház Folk Centre. And while the current hotel boom may be slower to reach Eastern parts of the country, the Aranybika (Golden Bull) Hotel is a gracious step back time: It's an Art Nouveau classic, built on the site of a 16th century inn.

Debrecen is the largest town on the Northern Great Plain, the second most populous in Hungary, and one of the oldest; with traces of settlements dating back long before the arrival of the Magyars in the 9th century. When the Magyars did arrive, they discovered a colony of Slovaks here who called the region "Dobre Zliem" or good soil. And good soil it was, for by the 16th century the city had became a byword not only for the reformed church, but also for mercantile wealth; prosperity based on salt, the fur trade and cattle-raising. It exported some 75,000 head of livestock every year to markets as far away as France - some considerable distance in those times. For centuries, Debrecen continued to be a bustling market town, site of the country's largest livestock fair.

During the Turkish occupation of much of Hungary, the town was at the border of the three very distinct territories: Turkish occupied Hungary; Hapsburg ruled Hungary and the Principality of Transylvania. Despite or maybe even because of this, the city prospered by trading with, and shrewdly paying tribute to all. At the same time, a class of mercenary warriors developed on the lands surrounding the city: The Hajdúk, foot soldiers and perhaps the Hungarian answer to the Cossacks, were notoriously fierce and reputed to be bisexual - alarming opponents indeed. You can see a visual representation of the Hajdúk on the exterior mural of the Old County Hall.

There was a time during the 16th century when only Calvinists were officially allowed to settle in Debrecen, but such narrow-mindedness was not destined to last. Catholic Churches such as the St Anne’s Church (Szent Anna Templom), the Greek Orthodox Church and two remaining synagogues, the Orthodox Synagogue and the Status Quo Synagogue all point to a climate of religious tolerance. Of course, Debrecen's history has not been one long continuum of permissiveness. Early Calvinists were enthusiastic persecutors of anyone who still held Pagan beliefs. Among the peasantry who tilled the Great Northern Plain there were people who venerated the village wise men or táltos, yet feared their female counterparts the bozsorkányok, who, not surprisingly perhaps, were often accused of witchcraft. It was only in 1768 that witch trials were finally banned by the Empress Maria Theresa.

This has always been a reformers' city, a place where revolutionary ideas are fermented. Witness the statue of István Bocskai, enemy of both the Ottoman and Hapsburg empires, in the Memorial Garden. Debrecen also served as base for the revolutionary government of Kossuth Lajos during the brave but ill-fated 1848-9 struggle for Hungarian independence. Indeed a statue of Kossuth occupies pride of place on Kossuth tér adjoining Kálvin tér to create a large pedestrian area in the center of town. It experienced a major building boom in the late 19th, early 20th century: enlivening the cityscape with some splendid Secessionist architecture. And in the final months of WWII, Debrecen was again the seat of a provisional national government.

Debrecen is no longer the comparatively wealthy city that once it was, as it seems the whole eastern flank of Hungary struggles to keep pace with Budapest. These days, the city's reputation is based on its universities (the Kossuth Lajos University in particular), teacher training colleges and summer Hungarian language courses. It also plays host to a world-renowned Jazz festival every September and a huge flower carnival on August 20 (St. Stephen's Day). Maybe it's that hard-head Protestant practicality, but whatever its fluctuations in fortune, the city of Debrecen is nothing if not a survivor. Witness the coat of arms on the city's Town Hall (Varosháza), depicting a phoenix rising from the ashes, or the Small Church (Csonkatemplon) known locally as the "mutilated church," with its replacement tower tacked on after a storm.

You will find central Debrecen easy to navigate, with the old town encircled by a ring road which follows the perimeter of the old city wall. This is rather neatly divided by Piac utca (Market Street), which runs all the way to the sprawling town square Kálvin tér to the railway station in Petőfi tér. (If you're doing your sightseeing in a hurry, Tram no. 1 runs the entire length of the street).

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