I expected Pécs to be pretty, but it was downright gorgeous, especially in its quaint downtown. This is partly due to the fact that it's the home of Zsolnay - a famous ceramics and tile manufacturer, so his creative roofs like the one pictured above decorated the city's skyline. However, a huge portion of the city, including its main square was under construction. To get anywhere, we had to loop around fenced-in construction zones and try to avoid the sound of jackhammers. Thus, we decided the city would be more appropriately titled the European Capital of Construction 2010.
Besides the gorgeous roofs, another facet of the city that I immediately loved was its rich religiosity that reflected many of Hungary's political stages. Within a five minute walk of each other, there was an impressive mosque, a stunning cathedral and a synagogue. Since there isn't much Muslim influence in Hungary since the Turks left, the mosque has been converted into a Cathedral church. I found this hybrid fascinating, because the interior was circular, rather than the long aisle to which I've become accustomed. Plus, they've adapted the murals to reflect the stations of the cross, but the style still looks influenced by the East.
However, this shifting denomination works the other way too. The main basilica, picture above, (which was also under construction) was used by the Turks as a mosque, so there was a Moorish influence to the Christian temple too, most evident in its crypt:
Unfortunately, I couldn't get a good shot of the synagogue because of construction blockades, but here's a beautiful performing arts center where we saw a dance troupe. I will write more about the Fringe Festival itself in my creative writing blog: http://marisa-musings.blogspot.com/
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