384 CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPE
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp390–93 and pp394–7
Lake Tisza f
Tisza-tó
199 km (124 miles) E of
Budapest. £ from Debrecen.
@ from Debrecen.
Although it is considered one
of the natural wonders of
Hungary, Lake Tisza is, in fact,
an artificial lake. It was created
in the early 1970s, when the
Tisza river was dammed for
the irrigation of the Great
Plain, which covers about
56 per cent of the country.
Covering 127 sq km (49
sq miles), the lake is sec-
ond in size only to Lake
Balaton (see p368–9), and
is increas ingly chal-
lenging its famous
neigh bour as the
summer holi day des-
tination of choice. Most of the
northern part of the lake is a
protected nature reserve.
Much loved by bird-watchers,
the reserve is acces sible only
with a guide. Almost 200 spe-
cies can be seen here, includ-
ing peregrine falcons, which
enjoy the microclimate gene-
rated by the lake waters.
The largest resort on Lake
Tisza is the bustling town of
Tiszafüred, which has many
grass beaches, boat launches
and one of Hungary’s oldest
regional museums, Pál Kiss
House Museum. Housed in
a Neo-Classical villa, the
museum was founded in 1877
and displays painted furniture,
pottery and an archae ology
exhi bition with Roman coins
and mosaics. Named after Pál
Kiss, a general in the revolu-
tion of 1848, it is also a major
bird-watching centre.
The popular water park at Abádszalók, Lake Tisza
Debrecen g
220 km (137 miles) E of Budapest.
* 200,000. £ from Budapest. @
from Budapest. ª Railway Station,
Múzeum utca. n Tourinform, Piac
utca 20, (052) 412 250. ( daily.
_ Spring Festival (Mar), Jazz Days
(Mar), Summer Theatre (Aug), Flower
Carnival (Aug). http://www.debrecen.huFamous for its Calvinist
Reformed College and
Calvinist Church, the pretty
town of Debrecen is Hungary’s
second largest. It has always
been an important marketImposing Great Reformed Church
and fountain, Debrecentown and, during the
revolution of 1848, it served
as Hungary’s capital. Today
it is celebrated for its grand
ther mal bath complex and
excel lent university.
Debrecen’s defining
landmark, the Great Reformed
Church, towers above the
town from the top of its main
street, Piac utca. Built
between 1819 and 1823, on
the site of an earlier church to
designs by Mihaly Pechy, this
is where Hungary’s parliament
met between 1848 and 1849,
and where its secession from
the Habsburg Empire was dec-
lared. Across the square is the
Civis Aranybika Hotel (see
p392), an Art Nouveau master-
piece designed by Alfred
Hajos, Hungary’s first Olympic
champion. Piac utca leads
into the central square, Kalvin
tér, which is home to the
Calvinist Reformed College,
founded by Dominican
monks in 1538. Rebuilt twice,
the present building was
designed by Mihaly Pechy. It
was in the Oratory here that
Hungary’s provisional
parliament met in 1944 while
Budapest was under siege.
Nearby stands the excellent
Deri Museum, built between
1926 and 1928, to house local
industrialist Frigyes Deri’s art
collection. It has a rich col-
lection of antiqui ties from
Egypt and Ancient Greece as
well as displays on Debrecen’s
history, ethnogra phy and art.
Debrecen’s famous thermal
bath complex lies just north
of the centre, with an exten-
sive range of pools and baths
and a vast water-therapy
treatment centre.The family-oriented resort of
Kisköre is home to the lake's
best beaches. The town of
Tiszaderzs, set back from the
shores of the lake, has a
13th-century Romanesque
church rebuilt in the 1600s
and an 18th-cen tury Baroque
Reformed Church. South of
Tiszaderzs, the water park at
Abádszalók is one of the lake’s
most popular attrac tions. It is
also known for water sports.
On the western shore, the
village of Sarud, has many
18th- and 19th-cen tury
thatched cottages as well
as a great shallow beach.
North of Sarud row ing
boats are avail able for
hire at the vil lage of
Poroszló and there is
also a nature trail that
meanders around the
sur rounding countryside.
E Pál Kiss House Museum
Tel (059) 352 106. # 9am–noon,
1–5pm Tue–Sat.
Abádszalók
n (059) 535 346.Peregrine falcons at
Lake Tisza