Pécs is the largest city in West Hungary and European Capital Of Culture with more than a thousand years of history. From Illyrian and Celtic settlements grew the Roman city of Sopianae and in 1009 A.D. King Stephan founded the diocese of Pécs. At the same time he laid the foundation stone for the first Saint Peter Cathedral whose structure, over the centuries, has been re-built and transformed several times.

The fascinating early Christian cemetery with its subterranean, artistically painted grave chambers, was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. Indeed, few Roman necropolis’ such as this exist outside Italy.

The Pécs of today makes it easy to forget that in 1241 the then unprotected city was destroyed by the Huns, which led to the construction of the City Wall. In 1543 the Turks invaded without a struggle and remained for 143 years during which time they introduced mosques, minarets and baths.

German, Croat, Roma and Jewish influences dominated the cityscape, a blend that eventually led to Hungarian Art Nouveau and Moorish-Oriental forms are very apparent on the still magnificent synagogues of the Jewish community.

Pécs is a rich multi-cultural legacy of European history, a city without frontiers in which many indelible influences have made their mark.