Discover Paks: Museums, architecture and festivals
Accommodation in Paks
Paks can be explored through a range of themes: technical exhibitions, architecture, the history of the town and the Danube, and recurring festivals. The themes you choose to focus on can also help you plan your stay.
Technology at the Atomenergetikai MĂşzeum
At the Atomenergetikai MĂşzeum, visitors can try out a radiation protection portal, a dosimeter and a screw-cutting machine. They can also learn about numerous systems used in the primary and secondary circuits. The museum focuses both on individual devices visitors can try for themselves and on technical installations.
Advance booking is required for group visits; a guided tour is available. Check the current visitor arrangements before travelling.
Architecture, the old town and museum themes
The Szentlélek Templom at Hősök tere is a Roman Catholic church. It was designed by Imre Makovecz and is considered an outstanding work of 20th-century organic architecture. Architecture is therefore a defining feature among the themes that make Paks distinctive.
Sárgödör tér, a small cellar district, lies in the heart of the old town. Sixty-six historic wine-press houses surround the plum-pit-shaped square. At its centre, a garden with annual flowers native to Hungary sits above the cellars. The historic ensemble of wine-press houses and the garden shape the square in different ways.
The Dunatár exhibition at the Paksi Városi Múzeum explores the relationship between the Danube and people through ten themes. These include obtaining food, floodplain farming and washing clothes in the Danube. The permanent exhibition “Paks történetének tanúi” offers another perspective on Paks; it opened in 1995.
Views of the Danube and Roman history
From Gárdonyi kilátó, you can see the Danube and four churches in the town of Paks. This offers a different way to experience the town than the museum themes or the architecture at Hősök tere.
Further afield in the region, in Dunakömlőd, lies Lussonium, a restored Roman ruin garden. It was a station on the Pannonian section of the Roman limes along the Danube. You can ask the Városi Múzeum about guided tours; check the current visitor arrangements in advance.
Festivals and culinary events
Wine takes centre stage at the annual Országos Sillerfesztivál on Sárgödör tér. Visitors can sample Siller wine, kolbászos vekni, and food and drinks from local producers. Details may change from year to year, so check the information for the relevant edition if you are planning your trip around it.
The Gastroblues Fesztivál takes place every year in July. It combines rock, blues and jazz concerts with a wine-lovers’ gathering and a cooking competition. This gives it a different focus from the Siller Festival: concerts and the competition are part of the programme here, while Siller wine and offerings from local producers are at the heart of the other festival. The programme and dates for Gastroblues can also vary from year to year; check them against your intended travel dates.
For planning purposes, it helps to make a simple distinction: would you like to focus your stay primarily on architecture, technology or museum themes, or are the dates of a festival the deciding factor?
Discover more destinations: Dunaföldvár, Bikács, Németkér, Gerjen
Go to the main travel overview: Paksi.
