Zsolnay Cultural Quarter written by Qais Yousufi, graduated student of the UP
Qais Yousufi arrived from Afghanistan on a grant in 2012, and obtained a degree at the department of International Studies at the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Pécs. He is recalling the past few years and tells us about one of his favourite places, the Zsolnay Cultural Quarter.
I was admitted to the International Relations Study Programme of the University of Pécs in 2013.
Even at the first semester I attended of very interesting courses and lectures, sociology included. The Department of Sociology can be found at the Zsolnay Cultural Quarter. Before our first sociology courses I googled the venue on the Internet and I found a lot of interesting information, but all that was nothing compared to my first experience when I looked around there by myself.
When you enter the unique complex which was built where there used to be the factory buildings and the residence of the Zsolnay family, you will feel dizzy from the vast array of parks, monuments, decorated buildings and sculptures and you can never have enough of the attractions. I was very happy to have had the chance to spend there as much time as I pleased, as one day is just not enough to visit and admire all of the monuments, the places and promenades designed for all the different age groups and of course the exhibitions.
During my stay in Pécs, I visited the permanent exhibitions of the Zsolnay Quarter many times and I have been encouraging every guest of Pécs to visit them, because it is worth it! I can say that my favourite was the Zsolnay Collection compiled by László Gyugyi with nearly 600 ceramics.
Beside the exhibitions, many arts and family festivals take place in the Quarter, and the Pécs University Days were also organized here, which is irresistible in my opinion.
If I look back on my years in Pécs, I think one of the best decisions in my life was to start my studies there. I loved the city, the people and the opportunities provided by the locality. Whenever I could, I walked up the Tettye and the Mecsek or was just ting on the Széchenyi square, I always learned for my exams at the library of the Learning Centre. But I spent most of my time at the Zsolnay Quarter, as I always found an activity which was appropriate to my mood whether I wanted to study or just wished to have a bit of a rest.
Qais Yousufi
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BA in International relations »
MA in International relations »