Zsolnay Quarter

At the turn of the 20th century the Zsolnay factory was the largest ceramics works in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, with nearly seven hundred workers. The old factory site was restored as part of the Pécs 2010 European Capital of Culture programme: by December 2011, forty thousand square metres of buildings had been renovated on five hectares, fifteen listed monuments among them, and 88 public Zsolnay sculptures stand on the site. The Zsolnay Quarter has been a Hungaricum (an officially recognised Hungarian national treasure) since 2014.

What is eosin?

The most famous Zsolnay glaze takes its name from the Greek "eos", meaning dawn. The iridescent technique with its metallic sheen was based on lustreware, which the Persians were already using in the 7th century. Vilmos Zsolnay developed it with the chemist Vince Wartha, and they presented it as their joint invention at the Millennium Exhibition in 1896.

You can see eosin in the old town too: the Zsolnay Fountain on Széchenyi tér is made with this glaze, with ox-head waterspouts. The fountain is 7 minutes from the building, but in the colder months it is covered with wooden boarding to protect it from frost, so you won't see it then.

What to see

The Golden Age of Zsolnay: the Gyugyi Collection

The collection of Dr László Gyugyi, brought home from America: nearly seven hundred ceramic pieces. It's on show in the Sikorski Villa, and it was the first exhibition to open in the quarter, in September 2010.

Zsolnay Family and Factory History Exhibition

Housed in the building where the family lived. Vilmos Zsolnay ran his experiments in the basement.

Pink Zsolnay Exhibition

The earliest Zsolnay products, some 1200 pieces.

Visitor Manufactory (Látványmanufaktúra)

Watch through a glass wall as porcelain is made.

Labor and Planetarium

Labor is an interactive playground of physics and technology experiments: here touching the equipment is compulsory. The Planetarium screens shows under an eight-metre dome with fifty seats, according to its programme. Combined tickets are not valid for the Planetarium.

Zsolnay Mausoleum

The family's resting place on the hill next to the quarter, 23 minutes from the building. Miklós Zsolnay had it built after his father's death, to designs by Tádé Sikorski, between 1901 and 1913. According to the official description, 42 lions guard the secret of eosin. You can only buy tickets at the Infopoints, not at the entrance, and it may be closed in bad weather.

Tickets and opening hours

Entry to the park is free. For the exhibitions you can buy single tickets or a combined ticket. The Zsolnay ticket is valid on the day of purchase and the following day, so you can split your visit over two days. The Heritage ticket (Örökség jegy) is valid for four days and covers the Cella Septichora Visitor Centre as well as the Zsolnay venues: if you want to see both, it's the one to get.

Opening hours are shorter in winter, and the main exhibitions are closed on several days of the week. Check the exact times and prices on the official website before you go.

Getting there

Walking is easiest: heading east from Király utca it's 16 minutes to the Major utca gate and 18 minutes to the middle of the quarter. The bus won't be any quicker, because the nearest useful stop, Árkád, is itself an 8-minute walk from the building. In bad weather several local buses run to the Major utca entrance; the official list includes the 2, 4, 14 and 20, for example. You'll find the timetable on the Tüke Busz website.