376 CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPE
P József Katona Theatre and
Holy Trinity Monument
Katona József tér 5. Tel (076) 501
during performances only.
7 ^
Resembling a jewellery box,
this theatre (Katona József
Színház) was the creation of
Austrian archi tects Ferdinand
Fellner and Hermann
Helmer. Completed
in 1896, it was
named after
playwright József
Katona. It is worth
attending a perfor-
mance to see the
ceiling alone.
The superb Holy
Trinity Monument
(Szentharomsag
Szobor) in front of
the theatre was
erected after the end
of the most recent
outbreak of plague,
in 1742.
R Piarist Church and School
Jókai tér. Church #11am–2pm daily.
The Piarists were a relatively
progressive and scientific
Catholic Order founded in
Rome in 1597 by St Joseph
Calasanctius. They arrived
in Kecskemét in 1715 and
founded the school on Jókai
tér. The present school build-
ing (Rendház), however, was
built in the late 1940s. The
Baroque church (Piarista
Templom) opposite the
school was erected between
1729 and 1765, to designs by
Andras Mayerhoffer. St
Calasanctius is represented by
one of four statues in front of
the building, alongside the
Virgin Mary and St Stephen
and St László.
E Museum of Medicinal and
Pharmaceutical History
Kölcsey utca 3. Tel (076) 329 964.
# May–Oct: 10am–2pm Tue–Sun.
& 7
Although this museum (Orvos
És Gyógyszerészettörténeti
Kiállítás) houses only a
small collection, consisting
mainly of colourful old
medicine bottles, intricate
old surgical instrum ents,
a weighing chair and various
reference works, it is worth
a visit if only to see the
superb building, which
was once a pharmacy.Kecskemét a
The city of Kecskemét dates back to
1368, though little remains from that era.
Kecskemét benefited from self-government
during Ottoman rule, and the Habsburgs
encouraged the development of agriculture
in the region, which is often called the
“Garden of Hungary”. The local plums
are the source of a delicious brandy.
An earth quake in June 1911 shook the city, but the
out standing Baroque and Art Nouveau city centre
was mercifully spared. Home to some great museums,
Kecskemét is a superb place to explore.
E Hungarian Photography
Museum
Katona József tér 12. Tel (076) 483
10am–5pm Wed–Sun. &
7 http://www.fotomuzeum.hu
This museum (Magyar
Fotográfiai múzeum)‚ is
housed in a former syna-
gogue that retains many of its
original fea tures. The museum
displays the works of every
great Hungarian photogra -
pher, including André Kertész
and László Moholy-Nagy.
There are regular exhibitions
by inter national artists. A
photog raphy bookshop is
attached to the museum.
For hotels and restaurants in the region see pp390–93 and pp394–7
E Museum of Hungarian
Naïve Art
Gáspár András utca 11. Tel (076)
324 767. # Mar–Oct: 10am–5pm
Tue–Sun; Nov–Feb: by appt only.
& 8
This charming museum
(Magyar Naiv Művészek
Múzeuma) is devoted to local
Naïve artists who produced
some stunning work. Unique
in Hungary, the museum
provides a thorough survey of
the genre. There are more
than 2,500 exhibits, with the
collection of small animal
sculptures, a special highlight.P Ornamental Palace
Rákóczi utca 1. Tel (076) 480 776.
10am–5pm Tue–Sat, 1:30–5pm
Sun. & 7
This masterpiece (Cifra
Palota), completed in 1902,
was the work of architect
Géza Markus. An art gallery
since World War II, the palace
holds over 10,000 works and
Room in the Museum of Medicinal
and Pharmaceutical Historyexhi bitions on the Art Nouveau
architects Tóth and Glücks.
The green and orange tiled
roof is outstanding.The Art Nouveau Ornamental Palace
Logo of the
Zwack distilleryR Great Catholic Church
Nagytemplom
Kossuth tér 2. # 9am–7pm daily;
spire and viewing platform summer
only. & 7
The gigantic Great Catholic
Church was built in 1772–96.
Its spire rises to 73 m (240 ft),
offering superb views. The
Baroque exterior features
statues and reliefs of figures
from Hungarian history. Grand
steps lead to the pulpit in an
otherwise plain interior.