Pécs

Pécs
Pécs Megyei Jogú Város
Clockwise from top left: Cathedral, Széchenyi Square, Barbican, Yakovalı Hasan Paşa Mosque, Kossuth Square
Nickname: 
"The City of Culture" (A kultúra városa)
Location of Pécs
Pécs
Location of Pécs
Pécs
Pécs (Hungary)
Coordinates: 46°04′15″N 18°13′59″E / 46.07083°N 18.23306°E / 46.07083; 18.23306
Country Hungary
RegionSouthern Transdanubia
CountyBaranya
DistrictPécs
Established2nd century BC
City status1777 (renewed)
Government
  MayorAttila Péterffy (Pécs Jövője, Öt Torony)
  Deputy mayorLajos Nyőgéri (Pécs Jövője, Hungarian Socialist Party)
Csaba Ruzsa (Independent)
Gábor Zag (Pécs Jövője, Democratic Coalition)
  Town NotaryDr István Lovász
Area
162.61 km2 (62.78 sq mi)
  Rank32nd in Hungary
Elevation
153 m (502 ft)
Population
 (1 January 2016)
145,347
  Rank5th in Hungary
  Density963.43/km2 (2,495.3/sq mi)
  Urban
251,412 (4th)
Demonympécsi
Population by ethnicity
  Hungarians84.0%
  Germans4.2%
  Romani2.0%
  Croats1.2%
  Romanians0.2%
  Serbs0.2%
  Slovaks0.1%
  Greeks0.1%
  Turks0.1%
Population by religion
  Roman Catholic39.7%
  Greek Catholic0.3%
  Calvinists5.2%
  Lutherans1.3%
  Jews0.1%
  Islam0.1%
  Non-religious27.8%
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal code
7600 to 7636
Area code(+36) 72
MotorwaysM60 Motorway
NUTS 3 codeHU231
Distance from Budapest238 km (148 mi) Northeast
AirportPécs (PEV)
MPs
List
Websitepecs.hu
Official nameEarly Christian Necropolis of Pécs (Sopianae)
Criteriaiii, iv
Designated2000

Pécs (/p/ PAYTCH, Hungarian: [peːt͡ʃ] ; Croatian: Pečuh; Slovak: Päťkostolie; also known by alternative names) is the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the country's southwest, close to the border with Croatia. It is the administrative and economic centre of Baranya County, and the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pécs.

A city dating back to ancient times, settled by the Celts and the Romans, it was made an episcopal see in early medieval Hungary. It has the oldest university in the country, and is one of its major cultural centers. Pécs has a rich cultural and architectural heritage stemming from 150 years of Ottoman rule, and it contains the largest number of Turkish Ottoman buildings found in any city in Central Europe. It is historically a multi-ethnic city where many cultures have interacted through 2,000 years of history. In recent times, it has been recognized for its cultural heritage, including being named as one of the European Capital of Culture cities. The Roman-era Christian necropolis in Pécs was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2000.