If you know of Debrecen, even just a little, you would most probably think of images of the impressive Great Reformed Church dominating the central Kossuth Square and the Art Deco and socialism period buildings surrounding it. However, there is much more to Debrecen, so much to discover and celebrate in History.
See some of the most famous days to celebrate in Debrecen’s past:
- On the 11th January 1860 – After the uprising in 1848, began a long period of repression of the Hungarian peoples by the Vienna government. The protestant church was singled out for extensive measures referred to as the “Protestant Patent” which were designed to weaken the power base of the protestant movement. The members of the Protestant parish assembly held in Debrecen on January 11th 1860 rejected the Protestant Patent a move which ultimately led to a change in direction by the Austrians and May 15, 1860, the royal manuscript arrived, restoring the church to its pre- 1848 status.
- On the 10th March 1950 – the Romanian Institute of the University of Debrecen started to operate. The University of Debrecen is one of the biggest in Hungary with 30,000 students, of which over 5000 are foreign students.
- On the 22nd May 1910 – Bishop Gyula Firczák consecrated the Greek Catholic Church on St. Anna Street in the presence of the church and civic leaders.
- On the 25thMay 1905 – The City Museum opened thanks to the donation of Artur Löfkovits’ private collection and operates as Déri Museum since May 25, 1930.
- On the 10th June 1950 – The Great Forest Open-Air Stage was inaugurated. Zoltán Kodály’s song entitled “Székelyfonó” was played in the presence of Zoltán Kodály. The open-air stage is in one of the most beautiful parts of the Nagyerdő (Great Forest), among huge firs and monumental English oaks. In 2014, the renovated, modernized theatre was reopened with 1000 seats for the culture lovers.
- On the 19th August 2000 – The Roman Catholic bishop Nándor Bosák dedicated the new church, called the Incarnation on the Square “Borbíró”.
- On the 20th August – 1950 – The Gut Pioneer Railway was inaugurated. Today, it is known as Zsuzsi Forest Railway. Zsuzsi Forest Railway is the oldest narrow gauge railway in Hungary. It was built to transport timber harvested in the forests of Gúth in Debrecen.
- On the 25th August 1995 – Mihály Munkácsy‘s painting entitled “Christ Before Pilate” was unveiled at the Déri Museum, bringing the entire trilogy of Christ into one place.
- On the 7th October 1865 – The permanent stone theater of Debrecen, the present-day Csokonai National Theater, opened on the former Semsey site.
- On the 29th December 1760 – Sámuel Diószegi, writer, botanist, Reformed priest, and co-author of the Debrecen Herbal Book was born in Debrecen.
