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 Pick salami factory in orange! by GillianMcLaughlin
Now look more closely: that colourful advertisement on one side of the bag is for none other than Szeged’s own Pick Salami factory, founded in 1869 by Mark Pick. Now, wouldn’t you really kick yourself if you realised that you had the opportunity to visit that factory during an easy day-trip from Budapest to Szeged, and learn all you’ve ever wanted to know about salami production through the ages, and specifically the prize-winning Pick’s salami?
Picks factory still operates today from its processing and package site on the bank of the Tisza. It does stand out a bit amongst the sedate architecture of the old city of Szeged, sporting as it does, a couple of bright orange towers. But heck, I was told that the situation was perfect as the level and type of humidity found there enhances the quality of the salami.
They welcome visitors by prior arrangement (have your hotel call on your behalf) and inside there are two charming and informative museum rooms, one dedicated to the history of the salami factory and the other to the production of the wonderful, spicy Hungarian paprika. Read on, I’ll show you a little more.
You can take a tour in English or German and an information leaflet is available in these two languages. Leave a Comment Address: Felső-Tisza-part 10Phone: +36 62 421 814Directions: Walk from the old town down to the river. Walk along the riverbank to your left. You’ll spot the coloured towers of the factory just beside the little “port” Fee: 100 Ft (around 40 cents!) Children, students, pensioners 50 Ft Guide 200 Ft
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 Stringing up paprika by GillianMcLaughlin
This museum has been put together with all the care and attention of its downstairs neighbour, and I once more was entranced by the photographs that provided the backbone to the exhibition. Once more the exhibits had been carefully collected and restored to their former glory, and the same life-sized pegdolls used to display authentic costumes and activities. Leave a Comment Address: Felső-Tisza-part 10Phone: +36 62 421 814Directions: Walk from the old town down to the river. Walk along the riverbank to your left. You’ll spot the coloured towers of the factory just beside the little “port” Fee: 100 Ft Children, students, pensioners 50 Ft Guide 200 FtWebsite: http://www.pick.hu/angol/ismerje/muzeum.htm
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 1935 certificate from the
Universal exhibition by GillianMcLaughlin
The website for the factory is a true tribute to the art of the salami. Amongst other things you can consult a host of suggestions about what you can do with your Pick’s spicy salami. Now do lift your mind from the gutter. I meant that they offer 5 tasty recipes:
Peasant's salad
Salami Salad with Mayonnaise
Sausage salad with green beans
Ham salad
Spicy pork cutlet roast a la PICK
A bit out of your depth on all things salami? Fear not. The website also offers you every opportunity to know your spicy from your large festive. Leave a Comment Address: Felső-Tisza-part 10Phone: +36 62 421 814Directions: Walk from the old town down to the river. Walk along the riverbank to your left. You’ll spot the coloured towers of the factory just beside the little “port” Website in germanWebsite: http://www.pick.hu/angol/index1.html
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 Vitoz Janos by GillianMcLaughlin
This one depicts Vitos Janos, one-time archbishop of Esztergom. I wins my prize for the most colourful contribution to the square! Leave a Comment Address: Cathedral Square
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 Scary monsters and super
creeps! by GillianMcLaughlin
Any suggestions gratefully received! Leave a Comment Address: Cathedral Square
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 Szeged cathedral and
Demetrius tower by GillianMcLaughlin
After the great flood, the local politicians vowed to build a votive church on this site. Work commenced in 1913, but ground to a rapid halt with the outbreak of World War One. The builders picked up their hammers and hods again in 1923 and the work was completed in 1930. It is an astonishing achievement.
Inside the decor is a true reflection of the artistic eras through which this cathedral has lived. I am not a fan of most church art (unless of course Michelangelo or Leonardo had something to do with it), but the richness and opulence of the decoration inside are really quite spectacular. Completed with the help of artists over a number of decades, one can discern the evolution from art nouveau, through deco to more modern styles. Some panels also surprise: there are two bands for example that contain very attractive representations of the signs of the zodiac (artistic representations as well as the constellations). A must see by anyone's standards.
Just in front of the main entrance (which is rarely used) you will find the remains of the 11th century Demetrius Tower, the oldest monument in Szeged.Its lower levels betray the Roman-style origins, and further up 13th century early Gothic features come to the fore. Leave a Comment Address: Cathedral Square - Dóm TérDirections: The cathedral sits between the river and the University at the south end of the old town. Hard to miss in fact as the towers can be seen from all over.
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 At the butcher's block by GillianMcLaughlin
When the factory-owners decided to open this exhibition, they sent out calls to former employees and associates, seeking exhibits. The result is a wonderful photographic exhibition, enhanced by life-size models dressed in authentic costumes and demonstrating how various pieces of equipment were used. What was stunning about the whole exhibition was that, unlike similar museums, no attempt had been made to portray life-like models, rather they were faceless wooden pegdolls with character etched on them through the addition of moustaches, glasses etc. For me this meant that the whole experience was tasteful rather than cheesy, and presented with a certain sense of style. Leave a Comment Address: Felső-Tisza-part 10Phone: +36 62 421 814Directions: Walk from the old town down to the river. Walk along the riverbank to your left. You’ll spot the coloured towers of the factory just beside the little “port”Website: http://www.pick.hu/angol/ismerje/muzeum.htm
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 Crucifix - still life or
self portrait? by GillianMcLaughlin
Two details that did manage to lodge in my brain however are worth passing on to the casual armchair traveller. The organ (which we heard during the concert part of the evening) is HUGE... and I mean GINORMOUS. I am not an expert on these things, but even I was impressed. It is in fact Europe's third largest church organ. I am reliably informed that it has 9,040 pipes ranging in size from 1.5cm to 5m. That sounds pretty impressive to me!
The other fascinating installation that was drawn to our attention is the crucifix you'll find in the photo. It was sculpted by Janos Fadrusz, who pledged it to the city to be hung in the, at the time, non-existent Votive Church. We were told that Janos had difficulty in finding a model willing to hang himself, scantilly-clothed for long enough for the work to be completed. So, not to be daunted, he arranged for himself to be bound to a wooden cross and for a photographer to take shots from all round. These photos were used as the basis of the sculpture, and therefore the face of Jesus is none other than the face of the artist himself.
A rather strange self-portrait methinks! Leave a Comment Address: Cathedral SquareDirections: Between the river and the university at the southern end of the old town
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 Arcades round Cathedral
Square by GillianMcLaughlin
Once a year, the square is host to a major international arts festival which draws crowds from all over the country and beyond. The stage is set up in front of the cathedral and the photos I have seen of performances are very impressive indeed. The performances are classic theatre, opera and orchestra. Leave a Comment Address: Cathedral Square
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 The river still floods today! by GillianMcLaughlin
I come from a town whose river floods on quite a regular basis. In the case of Dumfries, the floods happen when there is a high tide coupled with winter thaw in the hills, or with heavy rainfall. It is a gentle rising of the water. On the night of the great Flood in Szeged, there was no such delicate and steady rising of the water. A veritable tidal wave washed over the city, destroying the old city entirely, leaving many thousands of townspeople homeless and taking over 160 lives.
It is a credit to the people of Szeged that they took this catastrophe head-on, and set about rebuilding and restoring the city. Planners were brought in to remodel the city to some degree, and from above it bears some resemblance to the layout of Paris. The city received significant aid from other European capitals, and the major donors are remembered today in the boulevard that acts as a ring road round the old city: stretches of this road are named after Moscow, Brussels, Berlin, Rome, Paris and London. A monument was erected in 1979. Leave a Comment
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