Szeged Things to Do

The River Tisza, which cuts right through the centre of Szeged, has played a significant role in the establishment of early settlements that developed over the centuries into the city that we see today. On March 12th 1879 it played a devastating role in the city’s history. That was the date of the Great Flood, a date of such significance for the people of the city that they speak about it to new arrivals as if it was common knowledge. I had to probe quite a bit to get the details.

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.

The twin towers of Szeged Cathedral dominate the city's skyline. They rise elegantly above the old town. In Europe we get accustomed to churches and cathedrals representing decades, even centuries of work by devoted (or enslaved) master craftsmen. Up close there seems nothing unusual about this Cathedral: certainly it seems more modern than your average central European cathedral, but I was quite taken aback to discover that a building of such beauty and elegance was the product of 20th century builders!

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.

One evening, the party I was with were treated to an evening of music and lecture in the Cathedral. Many features of the interior artwork and installations were pointed out to us (but not the odd ones I had spotted, like the zodiac signs mentioned above). In the way of these things much of the considerable detailed information whooshed elegantly over my head as dates and numbers of bricks blended into details about the lives of artists.

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!

The cathedral and Demetrius Tower are set at one end of a huge square that, at 12,000 square metres is exactly the same size as St Mark's in Venice. Round the edge there is a gallery cum arcade designed very much to echo the feel of cloisters. The walls of this gallery are decorated with bas relief of Hungary's greatest artists, writers, thinkers, scientists etc...

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.

Most of the artwork decorating the arcades round Cathedral square is relatively dull in form. One or two pieces stand out however.

This one depicts Vitos Janos, one-time archbishop of Esztergom. I wins my prize for the most colourful contribution to the square!

Since the 87 plaques are unequivocally stated to be great Hungarian figures of literature, arts, science etc, I found it hard to work out just what this fella was doing there. He certainly hadn't eaten much in the months leading up to this portrait, and I do hope that the sittings for the sculpture weren't too painful for him.

Any suggestions gratefully received!

Upon arrival in my hotel, I immediately asked for a map. The nethusiastic receptionist gave me a 6th generation photocopy and made sure I did not leave the premises without being completely sure where the pedestrian street was! She in fact was the first of a number of locals that refered to the pedestrianised area of the city as a sight in itself. That afternoon it was certainly pleasant to stroll in the sunshine away from the noise of the traffic, and it was only later, when I realised that pedestrianisation was only completed in 2001 that I fully understood why the locals wanted this area of the old town to be appreciated by visitors.

There are really only two pedestrian streets, lined with the usual range of high-street shops and banks. However they intersect near a most beautiful square, which is clearly a focal point for locals.

The Klauz?l square was named after G?bor Klauz?l (1804-1866), who lived in one of the houses of the square. He was a minister of agriculture, industry and trade. Today his square serves as meeting place, hang-out and general hub of activity for locals. It is lined with pleasant cafes and mysterious doorways leading to hidden courtyards.

The statue in the centre commemorates Lajos Kossuth who made a famous speech there during the 1848-49 revolution.

As you pass through Budapest airport and spend time people-watching while wondering when your plane will take off, and wishing you’d kept a bit of cash for a beer, you will doubtless envy those travellers wandering around, buying trinkets and cheap drink, and carrying them off in those tell-tale duty free plastic bags.

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.