Local services
The Municipality of Debrecen pays great attention to presenting local values that play a decisive role in the development of individual and community identity and to introducing the city’s traditions and cultural heritage.
As part of a pilot programme, city history walks are being organised for Debrecen students, about which a press conference was held on Déri Square on April 16, 2025.
Deputy Mayor István Puskás highlighted that several programmes have already been launched to strengthen Debrecen residents’ connection to the city and the local identity called “Debrecenism”.
He recalled that in recent years, a series of books have been published about the city, but various contests, public installations, and murals also help locals get to know their place of residence better.
“We are here on the occasion of launching a new programme that connects two important areas and existing motifs. One is education, and the opportunities and tasks of building Debrecen’s identity in education. The other is a very popular format in the city, which has provided many experiences for tourists and the local population in recent years. This is the theme of city walks,” the Deputy Mayor emphasised. He said that in recent weeks, they have been working on launching a pilot project this school year that invites Debrecen schoolchildren on city history walks so that they can get to know the city’s often hidden treasures. He added that the first walk was organised for the young people in connection with City Day, and the occasion will continue after spring break.
The director of the Debrecen School District, László Türk, noted that the city history walks that are now starting can be realised through collaboration. The biggest winners are the children of Debrecen, who can receive reward lessons from the city. The director pointed out that students and teachers can learn about these city history walks, which can strengthen their Debrecen identity.
He added that, in the first round, during the rest of the school year, the opportunity will be opened to third-year students, of whom more than a thousand can participate in the most diverse thematic walks on 37 occasions. The walks will take place during school hours, at the expense of afternoon free activities, so after mandatory school hours. Speaking about the future, László Türk said that if the city history walks succeed, they will be expanded to other grades and maintainers.
The themes of the city history walks were developed by local government institutions, organisations (Déri Museum, Méliusz Juhász Péter Library, Visit Debrecen department of Főnix Event Organiser Public Nonprofit Ltd.), and the staff of the Natural History Museum, who will also be the leaders of the walks.
During the walks, the children will not only discover the sights of the city centre or the Great Forest, but the walks will also take them to the Újkert and Csapókert districts or lesser-known attractions, such as the Diószegi Sámuel Botanical Garden.
After organising this year’s programme events and summarising the experiences, they plan to continue the work next year. They would like to achieve that in the next phase, the city history walks can be supplemented with visits to institutions and museum pedagogical sessions.
Source and photo credit:debrecen.hu
