People First

The emblematic site of Pécs is the Mosque, tilted and oriented toward Mecca, and also the most significant Ottoman-era monument in Hungary. Standing on the city’s main square, the Széchenyi Square, the church is one of the city’s most important historical landmarks. The mosque was built as an islamic temple during the period of Turkish occupation in the 16th century. After the return of Christianity in the 18th century, it was converted into a christian church. Its uniqueness lies in being one of the largest and most intact surviving Turkish-era mosques in Europe.
Originally, there had already been a church on this site before the Turkish occupation, the Christian Church of Saint Bartholomew. The fact that, while preserving the Turkish structure of the mosque, it is today again a christian church provides a fine example of the encounter and coexistence of the two faiths.

Few people know that the Mosque can also be accessed barrier-free. We had lengthy consultations with the tourism staff of the Diocese of Pécs, and as a result, the Mosque is now roughly accessible.

Although a very nice entrance was built for the Visitor Centre in 2010, unfortunately it was not made accessible. On the southern side, from Széchenyi Square, the Visitor Centre cannot be accessed by wheelchair; a 30-cm step forms a barrier here. We have a promise for a ramp, but unfortunately it has not been realized for years. During our accessibility inspection in November 2020, at our request a poster in Hungarian and English was placed beside our sticker on the Visitor Centre door, indicating to visitors that the accessible entrance with a ramp is located on the northern side. Here a phone number can be found, which must be called so that someone can open the accessible entrance located on the northern side. However, the phone number available here can only be reached on weekdays until 5 p.m. We are still looking for a solution with the Diocese of Pécs for entry after this time and on weekends. This is a somewhat cumbersome solution, but for now this is what we have been able to achieve.

The interior of the Mosque is accessible, and the lower church and the crypt can also be reached by a stairlift. There is no guiding strip for visually impaired visitors and no induction loop for hearing-impaired visitors.

Update: On Saint Nicholas Day 2025, after many long years the bell of the Mosque rang again. The special bell tower, which also serves as a tourist attraction, is not only a technical curiosity but also the fulfillment of a centuries-old desire of the people of Pécs. Since the Turkish monument functions as a christian church, the population had always wished it to have a bell tower. After the Turkish occupation, as a christian church, the building received a bell tower in the 18th century. However, this did not fit the monument architecturally, so it was demolished in the 20th century. The current special elevating tower was built in 1990, it rises hydraulically 8 meters above ground level during bell-ringing and then sinks back down while melodies composed by László Kircsi, a composer from Pécs, are played. Thus, the monument character is preserved, yet the church has a bell tower. In 2017 the hydraulics failed, and the bell tower remained silent for eight years. Today, the bells of Saint Bartholomew ring several times a day again.

Website: Tourist attractions, buildings, and other objects can be selected in an accessible manner, and the information can be read with a screen reader.

Getting there:
By car, the nearest accessible parking is located next to Nagy Lajos High School. From there, the entrance is about 20 meters away on a flat surface. Two additional accessible parking spaces are available at Széchenyi Square, in front of and next to the courthouse. This is a traffic-calmed zone; entry is only allowed with a disability permit!

By bus, it is recommended to get off at Árkád Shopping Center and walk up Irgalmasok Street to Széchenyi Square. Almost all buses stop at Árkád. The route has a slight uphill gradient throughout. The cobblestones at Széchenyi Square may be a bit slippery for wheelchairs. The surface is smooth and accessible, with tactile markings to assist navigation.