Page 7 - Nyíregyháza 2019

Stroll in the city centre

Nyíregyháza is a young and vibrant city. Walking in the historic city
centre, we fi nd that the modern architecture of the 21st century and
the impressive monumental buildings look well next to each other. Th e
main square of the town, surrounded by the Town Hall, the Our Lady
of Hungary Roman Catholic Church, the reputable Hotel Korona, and
the Takarékpalota Palace, is the venue for many major events and fes-
tivals.

„Bench of the priests”

The „bench of the priests” at Kossuth Square was set in its original place
based on the short story by Gyula Krúdy, the great author who was born
in our town. Nowadays, it is a popular meeting place and an ideal place
to sit in the shadows of the evergreens during a walk in the city centre.
According to Krúdy, the representatives of every religion were sitt ing
and talking in a friendly way on the priests’ bench, and he remembered
that the birth of this new Nyíregyháza could be considered from this
small bench.
“From this bench, you could see the marketplace of Nyíregyháza, with
a long shadow cast to its centre by the Catholic church. Who would
have thought that the shadow of the tower would suddenly disappear,
because the church would be pushed to another place, as the inhabitants
of Nyíregyháza would need a large and free marketplace?” - wrote Krúdy
in his short story “People of Nyíregyháza” in 1924.

The city centre is made attractive and charming by an abundance of pub-
lic works of art, parks, benches, and cafés.

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