18 Facts About Debrecen

Debrecen became more important after some of the small villages of the area were deserted due to the Mongol invasion of Europe.

Debrecen later embraced the Protestant Reformation quite early, earning the monikers "the Calvinist Rome" and "the Geneva of Hungary".

Debrecen came under Turkish control as a sanjak between 1558 and 1693 and orderly bounded to the eyalets of Budin, Egri and Varat as "Debrecin".

In 1849, Debrecen was the capital of Hungary for a short time when the Hungarian revolutionary government fled there from Pest-Buda .

In 1884, Debrecen became the first Hungarian city to have a steam tramway.

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Nickname of Debrecen commonly used in Hungary is the Calvinist Rome or the Geneva of Hungary because of the great percentage of the Calvinist faith in the city as well as the Calvinist church has significant influence in the city and the region.

Debrecen is home to the Reformed Theological University of Debrecen, founded in 1538 and was the only Calvinist theological institute in the country permitted to function during the communist rule.

Hungarian Reformed Church has about 20 congregations in Debrecen, including the famous Reformed Great Church of Debrecen, which can easily accommodate about 5000 people .

On 7 June 1944, all movement in or out of the Ghetto was prohibited and a week later all Debrecen Jews were deported to the nearby Serly brickyards, and stripped of their belongings, joining Jews from other areas.

Some young Debrecen Jews escaped the town, led by the high school principal Adoniyahu Billitzer and reached Budapest, joining resistance movements and partisans.

Debrecen was occupied by the Soviet Army on 20 October 1944.

Chiefly thanks to the reformation and the prestigious Calvinist College, founded in 1538, Debrecen has been the intellectual and cultural centre of the surrounding area since the 16th century.

Debrecen is home to Tankcsapda, one of Hungary's most successful rock bands.

Debrecen is the site of an important choral competition, the Bela Bartok International Choir Competition, and is a member city of the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing.

Development of Debrecen is mainly financed by agricultural, health and educational enterprises.

Debrecen Airport has recently undergone modernisation in order to be able to handle more international flights, although almost all flights to and from Hungary still use Budapest's Ferihegy Airport .

Cities that can be reached from the Debrecen Airport include Brussels, Eindhoven, London, Malmo, Milan, Tel Aviv, Moscow and Paris.

In 2012, Debrecen hosted the 31st LEN European Swimming Championships.