Debrecen is one of the most vivid and coziest nooks in Hungary; this city is a unique and outstanding whirlpool of a dynamic cultural and intellectual heritage and of an effective and successful economic life. The centuries’ old traditions and the most recent technical and scientific innovations enhancing each other make Debrecen a nationally and internationally renowned city.
This lively city in the heart of the Carpathian Basin awaits the visitors with a cornucopia of programs and events, from a number of excellent art exhibitions,
folk programs to many sports and leisure events. The outstanding collections of the local museums, the historical monuments of the city or the various and imposing programs of local folk traditions enchant all visitors who wish to explore the marvels of Debrecen: choir festivals, folk festivals, carnivals, breath-taking exhibitions, fairs offer their programs and goods for the visitors. Debrecen is a university centre and also a place for conferences and scientific meetings, and this serves the active and organic cooperation of the city’s economic, scientific, educational and cultural life.
This active life is combined with a splendid leisure and wellness sphere as well; the recently renovated Mediterranean Aqua Park and the charming Zoo in the centre of the romantic Great Forest offer excellent time for the whole family, while the Aquaticum Wellness and Spa Resort designs exclusive health treatments and wellness care programmes for the visitors as Debrecen is one of the largest centres of mineral thermal water in Europe.
This leisure life is enriched by the active sport life of the city: Debrecen has been hosting a number of national and international sports events from national championships to European and World championships.
For the lovers of rural country life the Hortobágy is a must to visit, because the calm and enchanting atmosphere is an excellent basis for relaxation, while those who seek pleasures in fishing, hunting and riding may also enjoy the region.
Thus, this city in the eastern periphery of the country is an unparalleled place – not only because of the flourishing cultural, scientific and social life but because of the dynamic economic and industrial traditions as well, which has established an outstanding and marvellous atmosphere in Debrecen.
For further information please visit:
http://www.gotodebrecen.com/en
Tokaj is the centre of Tokaj Hills (Tokaj-hegyalja), the most famous historic wine region in Hungary. This traditional town lies at the foot of the Hills, where the Bodrog and the Tisza meet. This land was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, thanks to its people's dedicated work and the unique natural endowment of the area, both making Tokaj a peculiar economic and cultural region. Though Tokaji wines are renowned all over the world, less may be known about the town. Tokaj is also called the home of "the wine of kings, and the king of wines".
History:
Soon after the national conquest in the 10th century, the Magyars settled in the area around Tokaj; one of their leaders built a moated castle here. The resulting pentagonal castle, important to the transportation of salt on the Tisza, fell into Turkish hands in 1576. It was almost completely destroyed in 1604 by the Habsburgs. Four earth bastions and some ruins of the walls are all that remain of this fortification. The town which received its official charter in 1478, developed into an important trading center, which was helped to recovery by the Greeks fleeing from the Turks in the 17th and 18th century.
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http://www.planetware.com/hungary/tokaj-h-ba-tok.htm
Lake Tisza
A few decades ago people had an extraordinary idea, and conjured up a lake right in the middle of the steppe, the Great Hungarian Plain. This extraordinary area of 127 square kms, created by damming the River Tisza, was given the name Lake Tisza.
We rightly called it extraordinary because it is not even strictly speaking a lake, because of the river current that flows through it. At some spots, where we see the sailboats and windsurfers skimming over the choppy waters, or the colorful cavalcade of guesthouses and restaurants, or when we hear the merry hubbub of bathers, we could imagine ourselves at a smaller brother of the Balaton.
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http://www.tisza-to-info.hu/10-1784.html
Eger has been inhabited since the Stone Age. Today's Eger was formed in the 10th century by St. Stephen(997–1038), the first Christian king of Hungary, who founded an episcopal see in Eger. The first cathedralof Eger was built on Castle Hill, within the present site of Eger Castle. Eger grew up around its former cathedral and has remained an important religious centre in Hungary since its foundation. The 14th-16th centuries were an age of prosperity for Eger. Winegrowing, for which the town is still famous for, began to be important around that time. The bishops of Eger built beautiful buildings in the city during 18th and 19th centuries.
During the Turkishadvance into Central Hungary, Eger became an important border fortress, successfully defended by Hungarian forces in the 1552 Siege of Eger, in the face of overwhelming odds. The castle's defenders, under the command of Captain István Dobóare said to have numbered fewer than 2,000, including women and children, but successfully held off a Turkish army of 80,000 soldiers. The first writer of note to draw on the story was the Hungarian renaissance poet and musician Sebestyén Tinódi Lantos (c. 1510-1556), whose account may have come partly from eye witnesses. Most Hungarians know best the version of this story found in the 1899 novel "Eclipse of the Crescent Moon" (Hungarian "Egri csillagok", lit. "Stars of Eger") by the 19th century Hungarian author Gárdonyi Géza, which is set reading under the Hungarian national curriculum.
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