Debrecen4U March 20, 2026

Move, Debrecen! Opens 25th Indoor Venue in Haláp

Details were presented at a press conference on 19 March 2026 by Deputy Mayor Diána Széles, Csaba Papp, professional leader of the Move, Debrecen! movement, and Dalma Berekméri, President of the Halápon a Gyermekekért Közhasznú Egyesület (Public Benefit Association for Children in Haláp).

As Deputy Mayor Diána Széles explained, the announcement is significant not only because the Haláp venue is the 25th indoor programme location of the Move, Debrecen! movement, but also because, as a special feature, it is the first such facility available to those wishing to exercise in the outskirts of the city. Residents of Nagycsere and Haláp have a clear demand for regular physical activity, despite the common assumption that people living in more rural surroundings are likely to be more active than those in urban areas—due, for example, to farming, gardening and household work. While this is indeed partly true, certain specialised forms of exercise that support health preservation are not part of their everyday routines either. With the assistance of the Halápon a Gyermekekért Közhasznú Egyesület, the Move, Debrecen! movement conducted a needs assessment among residents of Nagycsere and Haláp to determine what types of sessions, at what times and in which locations they would require. Based on the findings, there is currently strongest interest in free, professionally led spinal exercise sessions, held on weekday mornings, primarily among expectant mothers, mothers with young children and older residents. The venue identified for this is the community centre operated by the Halápon a Gyermekekért Közhasznú Egyesület, to whom special thanks are due for hosting the programme.

Dalma Berekméri, President of the Halápon a Gyermekekért Közhasznú Egyesület, noted that local residents have been waiting a long time for this opportunity, and described it as a “welcome responsibility” to host the programme, which she gladly accepted. This is all the more meaningful as, when she founded the association around 2011, her aim was to support the local community. Launching the exercise sessions of the Move, Debrecen! movement is one such form of support. Community gatherings combined with opportunities for physical activity are among the best initiatives. Dalma Berekméri is confident that participation will steadily increase over time. Plans are already cautiously being made to introduce an additional Wednesday afternoon session—after working hours, expected to start at 17:00. One reason for this is that more and more young families are moving into the area, and their needs and schedules differ from those of older residents, which organisers aim to accommodate as much as possible.

Csaba Papp, professional leader of the Move, Debrecen! movement, recalled that initially he believed the initiative would be most popular in housing estate environments. However, to his surprise, it achieved overwhelming success in a suburban-style area such as Csapókert. There, whatever form of exercise the Move, Debrecen! movement introduced, sessions filled up within a week. As a result, in Csapókert there are now two venues regularly welcoming those wishing to exercise.

Csaba Papp also mentioned another early assumption: that indoor programme venues could only be community centres with permanent staff. He had not anticipated how readily schools—regardless of their maintaining authority—would volunteer as venues, even though this service entails significant additional responsibilities for them. In his view, the success of the Move, Debrecen! movement in Debrecen is due to the strong cooperation between the local authority, school operators and civil organisations. The original ambition of engaging just a few people has been far exceeded: over nearly five years since its launch, more than 288,000 residents of Debrecen have taken part in one of its programmes. The range is extensive, with 5,500 programmes organised annually across 25 indoor and 6 outdoor venues. In response to rapidly growing demand, seven entirely new indoor venues have opened this year alone. Csaba Papp emphasised that programme organisation and the range of activities are always determined by participants’ needs. For example, at the Vezér Street venue, classical yoga sessions with low attendance have been replaced by highly popular Pilates classes.

In Haláp, the first spinal exercise session will take place on Monday, 23 March 2026, starting at 09:00, in the building of Bokorhegyi School (Debrecen-Haláp 35).

Further details about the health education and exercise programmes of the Move, Debrecen! movement are available on their website and on social media.

Diána Széles also drew attention to the fact that those wishing to be active can take part in the 3rd Mozdulj Debrecen! Exercise Carnival on Sunday afternoon, 22 March, at the Főnix Arena. Registration for the event is still open, and further details about the Movement Carnival are available online.

Source and photo credit: debrecen.hu