With a population of 200 000, Debrecen is the second largest city in Hungary. Easily reachable by all means of transportation, it also has an international airport. Since 1950, it is the seat of Hajdú-Bihar county, and the regional center of Northern Great Plain region.

The city of Debrecen is the economical, educational and cultural center of the Tiszántúl region. People have been living here since ancient times, the first written mention of the city is from 1235. From the 16th century, it has been referred to as the Calvinist Rome because it is the most important location of the Hungarian Reformation. Debrecen is a famous university town, tens of thousands of students study at its universities and colleges. It is the center of the Tiszántúl Calvinist Region and also a part of the Roman Catholic Diocese.

An important university town, the University of Debrecen - with its faculties of Science, Humanities, Medicine, Agronomy - and the Debrecen Reformed Theological University have more than 20 000 students. The Reformed College’s historic library holds 500 000 books, amongst them rare incunables. The Csokonai Theatre stages prose works and opera since 1865. Many orchestras and internationally known choirs are based here, and the biannual Béla Bartók International Choir Competition is held in the city. The Déri Museum, besides showing a collection on the history of  Debrecen, is famous for its exhibition of Mihály Munkácsy’s Christ Trilogy. Opened in 2006, a recent and refreshing development in the city’s life is the MODEM gallery with its large-scale exhibitions on modern and contemporary art.

Every year since 1966, on the 20th of August the beautiful flower compositions of the Flower Carnival attract tens of thousands of visitors.