Debrecen is located on the Hungarian Great Plains (Alföld), 22 miles from the Romanian border and about 160 miles from Budapest.


This area was already populated in the 9th century -Vandals, Sarmatians, Avars and Gepids lived here first. The Regestrum of Várad contains the first written reference to the city, dating back to 1253. The name Debrecen most probably originates from the Slavic „dobre zlijem”, meaning „good soil”.


After the invasion of the Tartaric tribes, the city progressed rapidly and soon became a determinant place in the history of Hungary. Its wealth and importance in the 17th century was built on cattle trading, which created a fertile basis for the development of a prospering school system where famous Hungarian poets and professors were educated.


In 1693 Lipót I ranked the town to be a city, and in 1715, after the return of the Piarist Monks, the Saint Anna Cathedral was built. After 1849 Debrecen was the capital of Hungary for a short period of time, and in April 1849, the dethronement of Habsburgs and the independence of Hungary was proclaimed here by Louis Kossuth at the Great (Calvinist) Church. After the 1848-49 Revolution, a slow recovery can be observed: new railroads, kindergartens, schools and hospitals were built, along with factories and banks, giving a new image to the city.


World War I turned Debrecen into a border town again (Hungary's borders have been redrawn), and tourism was the only way to revive the city. This is when the Hortobágy, a vast pasture owned by the city, became an extremely popular tourist attraction. After World War II, the city slowly began to prosper again, however, during the nationalization of the land, the city lost more than half of its territory as well as its executive rights over the Hortobágy.


Debrecen offers famous annual programs, such as the Flower Carnival held on 20th of August every year, the Spring Carnival, the Jazz Days, or the Béla Bartók International Competition for Choirs.


Many famous Hungarian poets and writers attended the educational institutions of the city, like Mihály Csokonai Vitéz, János Arany, Ferenc Kölcsey, Zsigmond Móricz, and Endre Ady. Mihály Fazekas, author of the epic poem “Lúdas Matyi” (Matt the Goose-boy) lived in the city, as did Louis Kossuth and his family in 1849. Mór Jókai, a famous Hungarian writer, also spent six months in Debrecen, working as a journalist.


The Department of the National Commission of Defense resided here for a short time, and the Holy Crown of Hungary was held in the city's care under the Revolution.