5+1 interesting things about Debrecen

Considering the number of festivals, the busy literary scene and the numerous historical remnants in Debrecen, one can say that it is a truly European city. Magyarországkúl presents you 5 facts about Debrecen, with an addition of ours.

1) The second most highly populated Hungarian city

When it comes to territory and size, Debrecen comes third after Budapest and Hódmezővásárhely among Hungarian cities, however, from the point of the number of people, it is second after Budapest. It is the district capital of Hajdú-Bihar county, with 38.2% of the county’s population residing in Debrecen.

2) ‘The Calvinist Rome’, or the ‘Gateway to the East’

Debrecen became the most important centre for Protestantism in Hungary, having acquired recognition in the surrounding countries too. The Reformed Great Church of Debrecen is the most characteristic building of the city. It is also

the biggest Reformed and Protestant church in Hungary:

its floor area is 1500 square metres. It is the symbol of the Reformed Church in Hungary, this is why Debrecen is often referred to as the ‘Calvinist Rome’.

We would also like to mention the Reformed College of Debrecen, which operates since 1538. This institution was not just a simple school, but had a great role in the development of the Hungarian intellectual scene. Once, it was called ‘the nation’s school’.

But why is it the ‘Gateway to the East’? Simply because it is near to the Eastern border of Hungary and is a regional centre.

3) Preparing for a jubilee

In the second half of the 19^th century, the journalist scene of Debrecen attracted quite a few important Hungarian figures to the city, though it failed to keep them there. Some of the most iconic and important Hungarian poets and writers, such as Endre Ady, Gyula Krúdy or Árpád Tóth started their journalistic careers in Debrecen. Other important characters of the literary scene include Mihály Csokonai Vitéz (after whom the theatre in Debrecen is named) and

Magda Szabó, whose birthday was celebrated a couple of days ago, even by Google.

Debrecen prepared a lot of programmes in the first week of October to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of Magda Szabó’s birth. A full figure statue of the writer was erected at the town’s square.

4) A special city railway is the predecessor of the tram