A historical and cultural city
With its history of 2000 years, Mediterranean culture, and excellent wines, Pécs has been the home of many world-famous artists such as Impressionist, Bauhaus, and op-art artists. The Lonely Cedar by Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka, the hypnotising artwork called Zebras by Victor Vasarely, the Bauhaus chair designed by Marcell Breuer, and the porcelain artwork by the Zsolnay family were inspired by the rich cultural scene of Pécs.
Since the turn of the millennium, the fields of knowledge, healthcare, and culture have become more and more pivotal in the city’s economic development. Pécs represented Hungary in the world in 2010 by becoming a European Cultural Capital (EEC) owing to its many historical and cultural values, for example, the Dome and the Early Christian Cemetery that has been a world heritage site since 2000. For this reason, major investments were made in Pécs – the construction of Kodály Music Hall, Southern Transdanubia Regional Library and Centre for Learning, Múzeumok utcája (Street of Museums), and Zsolnay Cultural Quarter being the most significant ones.
Zsolnay Cultural Quarter is the largest cultural building complex in East-Central Europe. Located at the site of the former Zsolnay Factory, it is home to Bóbita Puppet Theatre, Janus University Theatre, permanent exhibitions featuring contemporary arts and the glorious past of the factory including the Gyugyi Collection, the Pink Zsolnay Exhibition, and the Family and Factory History Exhibition, as well as a digital planetarium, the Lab-Interactive House of Playful Science, the Large Exhibition Hall, two concert halls, and a library. In addition to these cultural facilities, restaurants, cafés, souvenir shops, playgrounds, and walkways make the cultural and historical scene of the Quarter more colourful and enjoyable.
The Croat Theatre of Pécs is the only professional Croat minority theatre in Hungary.
Pécs ZOO in Mecsek Mountain has been the most significant zoological institution in the region since 1960.
The city of festivals
Pécs hosts many annual festivals centring around light shows, pop and classical music, minority culture, cultural heritage, theatre and puppet theatre, choral singing, wine and grape culture, and gastronomy.
