Eastern Europe - Pecs. Hungary

The Gypsies

National Theater

Email No. 34 Pecs. Hungary

This was well worth the effort as Pecs is simply a delightful city. After moving from my first night’s awful accommodation to a decent hotel located near the central square I was able to fully enjoyed all the city has to offer.

The “Old-Town” Pecs (roughly .5 mi. by 1 mi.) is a very neatly laid-out center. It has not one, but several squares connected by pedestrian-only streets.

There was something going on every single day. One of the smaller square has a little pool fed by channeled water, and on Saturday they had several activities set up for children. Later that day, two groups of dancers and musicians performed in different areas of the Old Town. One of the two groups was made out of gypsies. It is ironic that I had been looking for gypsy performers and I found them in Pecs after I had given all hopes of ever finding them. Not only that but I was able to attend one of their performances at a local theater. I have to say that the music I heard was very different from the one I remember listening to from the street’s performers in Brussels. I remember beautiful violin performances. The gypsies in Pecs use mostly guitars and a metal container that looks like something the milkman use to deliver milk door-to-door. (Yes, when I was young they used to do that!). The music they play is rather simple and always very fast and often accompanied by singing and by one or more dancers.

Sunday, a large brass band was performing in the square in front of the National Theater. Many of Glenn Miller pieces, of course.

The most popular street, one of the pedestrian street starting at the main square, is lined up with shops and restaurants with outdoor terraces. And, of course, the corner restaurant, right by the main square at the very beginning of the street, is a McDonald!

They often end up in a prime location. Not only that but, even in spite of the stiff competition, they are always full of customers.

I went to a gallery that had a temporary exhibition of reproductions of Alfonse Mucha’s paintings, one of my favorite artist. Also very interesting was the Zsolnay Museum of Architectural Ceramics, were I found out that those pretty colorful tiles on some of the roofs are really made out of ceramics.

Pecs has the expected assortment of churches. The most interesting, located at the top of the main square, was originally designed as a mosque and ended up as a catholic church?

There are also several other very architecturally beautiful buildings; the National Theater, the Post Office Palace, the four-towered St. Peter and Paul Basilica, The Bishop’s Castle, the County Hall, the 1869 Zsinagoga synagogue, to mention a few.

Next (and last) is Budapest which is a straight 2.30 hours away by IC train.