Hungary - Eastern Europe - page 372

lifetime; today, though, he is adored in Hungary, particularly by teenagers and stu-
dents drawn to his rebellious, nonconformist, irreverent spirit. The national book fair
is traditionally opened on his birthday, April 11, each year. A wonderfully unassum-
ing statue of the poet stands in front of the university's main building on Dugonics
tér. The only other statue of him that we know of is next to the Parliament Building
in Budapest, sitting on the steps of the embankment, evoking thoughts of one of
József 's famous poems, about the multicultural Danube, written against the specter of
nationalism in the 1930s.
In addition to its status as a center of learning and culture, Szeged is the industrial
capital of the Great Plain (Alföld), though you wouldn't know it by spending a day or
two in the city center. The Tisza River splits the city in two, with the historic center
lying, Pest-style, within a series of concentric ring boulevards on the left bank. Indeed,
the river looms large in Szeged's history: The city was almost completely destroyed
when the Tisza flooded in 1879. With financial assistance from a number of European
cities—Brussels, Berlin, Rome, London, and Paris—the city was rebuilt in the char-
acteristic ring style of the time. The postflood reconstruction explains why Szeged's
finest architecture is of the fin de siècle Art Nouveau style. Don't miss the synagogue
(see “Exploring the Historic Center,” below) and the recently restored Reök Building
(now a bank) on the corner of Kölcsey utca and Feketesas utca.
The people of Szegend, many of whom are students, love to stroll along the river-
side, sit in cafes, and window-shop on the just reconstructed elegant Karász utca ,
the town's main pedestrian-only street. Dóm tér, a beautiful, wide square, is home
to the Szeged Summer Festival , a popular summer-long series of cultural events.
At the end of July, Szeged also plays host to a theater festival known as Thealter for
its focus on alternative performances. An international festival, Thealter was founded
by drama students from the university and draws theater troupes from all over Europe.
In 2003 Thealter celebrated its 13th season. Ask about both of these festivals at Tour-
inform or Szeged Tourist.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE Twelve daily trains depart Budapest's Nyugati Station, of
which four are InterCity. The fare for all is 2,030 Ft ($10/£5.20). On an InterCity
train the journey takes about 2 1 ⁄ 4 hours, and you are required to pay an additional fee
for a seat reservation. On a fast train (gyors), the trip is more like 3 hours, but you
don't need a reservation. (Travel times by trains generally seem to have slowed down
in the past several years due to the poor conditions of the tracks all over the country.)
If you're driving from Budapest, take the M5 motorway south through Kecskemét
and Kiskunfélegyháza.
VISITOR INFORMATION The best source of information, as usual, is Tourin-
form, at Dugonics tér 2 ( & 62/488-690; www.szeged.hu), located in the recently ren-
ovated 19th-century courtyard of the fine pastry shop Z. Nagy Cukrászda (reviewed
below). The office is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm. If you wish to
book a private room, try Szeged Tourist, at Klauzál tér 7 ( & 62/420-428 ), open
Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm.
Pick up Szegedi Est, a free weekly magazine with lots of useful information.
MAHART, the Hungarian ferry line company, organizes boat tours up and down
the Tisza River from the first of April through mid-October. For information, contact
the MAHART boat station in Szeged at & 62/425-834.