Debrecen4U July 8, 2025

Debrecen’s rebuilt main square was inaugurated 24 years ago

The first part of Debrecen’s downtown pedestrian zone was completed just a quarter of a century ago. The section between the Great Church and Kossuth Street, the redesigned and rebuilt main square of the city, was inaugurated 25 years ago, on 7 July 2001, by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and the then Mayor of Debrecen, Lajos Kósa.

The pedestrian zone in Debrecen’s city centre cost around HUF 1.5 billion to build. During the project, the tramway was renovated, and Kossuth Square and Piac Street between the Great Church and Kossuth Street were covered with decorative paving.

Of course, the work of Szigfrid Pongrácz and Ede Margó, the statue of Kossuth, the square’s defining work of art, remained, which was put in place in 1914.

In front of the group of statues, a work by Cs. Tibor Uhrin has been standing out from the pavement since 2001, depicting the coat of arms of the city of Debrecen made of colourful mosaics. The Millennium Fountain was designed by Antal Pázmándi: it is decorated with the painting “Honfoglás” (Hungarian land-taking), depicting the arrival of the Hungarians, and the phoenix bird, which is a symbol of the city’s rebirth. However, fewer people may know that Endre Gaál, a glass artist born in Hódmezővásárhely in 1957, is one of the co-creators of the fountain in front of the Aranybika Hotel. Five columns of equal height were added to the part facing the hotel based on his plans and construction.

In 2001, in front of the thousands of people who packed Kossuth Square in front of the Reformed Church, the prime minister reminded them that the 30-year dream of the people of Debrecen had come true with the restoration of the new downtown pedestrian zone, the former promenade.

“It’s great that you, the citizens of Debrecen, did not build this square for forced marches and military demonstrations. You can see that this square does not proclaim the superiority of an idea. The square was built to provide a place for all those who come here during the day and in the evening to enjoy themselves with their families and friends,” Mr. Orbán said, adding that it was built to make the city a home for the people of Debrecen.

“The new centre of Debrecen is Kossuth Square, which, in a traditional way, suggests the tranquility of the past century,” Lajos Kósa said at the time.

We have been using the square ever since; we walk there, sit on the terraces, or participate in the most diverse events there. Today we can’t even imagine what it was like when bus 31 turned onto Piac Street in front of the Great Church…

Source: dehir.hu