Szeged
Welcome to the City of Sunshine!
Should you arrive from the neighbourhood, or from any other corner of the globe, Szeged is always looking forward to welcoming guests with arms wide open. The regional centre of the southern Great Plains, one of Hungary's most beautiful cities is pleased to welcome fans of canoeing sharing their unconditional affection for water.
Life of Szeged has always been greatly influenced by water: the sunny flats at the fork of the Tisza and Maros rivers were inhabited about twenty thousand years ago, in the Palaeolithic Age. Romans established the first permanent settlement at the current location of Szeged, overseeing river commerce of salt and gold. The rivers equalled life for many centuries: in addition to trading with salt, in the Middle Ages wine, grain, and wood trading, fishing and boat construction and adjacent industries ensured the living of the population. Szeged received the town rank almost 760 years ago, and became an important military and public administrative centre from the 13th century. With a fort on the bank of the Tisza, it grew into one of the biggest settlements of the country, and received the Free Royal Town rank on 21 May 1719. Commemorating this event the Day of Szeged is celebrated annually on this very day, also serving as the opening event for the summer festival season.
Development was not undiminished however as the otherwise greatly beneficial floods of the river tested the locals. The most devastating natural disaster in Szeged's history, the Flood of 12 March 1879 hit the town overnight and just within a few hours almost completely destroyed Szeged. Out of almost five thousand houses only 265 remained intact, and some 60,000 people were left homeless. Tragic news spread quickly and 32 countries provided some kind of support in the reconstruction, 6 European capital cities, Vienna, Berlin, Brussels, London, Paris and Rome made an outstanding donation for the revival of Szeged. Acknowledging this noble gesture of solidarity, sections of the main boulevard in Szeged are named after these cities. The new structure of the city was built based on the grid of Paris and Vienna, the boulevards and avenues still serve the increased traffic in Szeged nowadays. The carefully and swiftly designed and rebuilt city is known for its downtown palaces built in a uniform and unique Eclectic and Art Nouveau style. Szeged was recently awarded the Europa Nostra Award for conserving such a cultural heritage.
In addition to the award-winning environment of the city being home to the 163,000 inhabitants, the attractive surrounding, the exquisite architecture and open spaces, there are other attractions Szeged can be proud of. The certified mineral water of the recently renovated Anna Spa, the youthful campus of the University of Szeged, the buzz of the international sporting events, the very rich cultural life – including weekly festivals and a plethora of other events – the local cuisine of Szeged with the fish soup with fish from the Tisza and the sweet paprika powder make the Szeged experience one of a kind.
Should you arrive on the highway, by train, on water or soon by air, the “City of Sunshine” is waiting for you with its treasures to be explored by the tamed River Tisza.
General Information on Hungary
Population: 10.2 million
Area: 93.036 km2
Capital: Budapest (Territory: 525 km2)
Time zone: GMT +1 hour
Official language: Hungarian
State form: republic
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe, bounded on the north by Slovakia; on the north-east by Ukraine; on the east by Romania; on the south by Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia; and on the west by Austria. The Danube River forms part of Hungary's northwestern border with Slovakia, and then flows south through Budapest, dividing Hungary into two general regions. A low, rolling plain known as the Great Hungarian Plain, covers most of the region east of the Danube extending east to Romania and south to Serbia. Hungary has a continental climate with cold, cloudy, humid winters and warm to hot summers. Average annual temperature is 9.7 °C (49.5F). Temperature extremes are about 38 °C (100F) in the summer and -29°C (-20F) in the winter. Average temperature in the summer is 27 to 32 °C (81 to 90F), and in the winter it is 0 to -15 °C (32 to 5F). The average yearly rainfall is approximately 600mm (24 in).