Paks is a small town in

Tolna county Tolna ( hu, Tolna megye, ; german: Komitat Tolnau) is an administrative county (Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus or megye) in present Hungary as it was of the former Kingdom of Hungary. It lies in central Hungary, on the west bank of the ...

, in the south of Hungary, on the right bank of the Danube River, 100 km south of Budapest. Paks as a former agricultural settlement is now the home of the only Hungarian

nuclear power plant A nuclear power plant (NPP) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. As is typical of thermal power stations, heat is used to generate steam that drives a steam turbine connected to a electric generator, generato ...

, which provides about 40% of the country's electricity consumption.

History

The settlement was already inhabited in ancient times. It has played a role in the Ottoman Empire times and during

Rákóczi's War of Independence Rákóczi's War of Independence (1703–11) was the first significant attempt to topple the rule of the Habsburgs over Hungary. The war was conducted by a group of noblemen, wealthy and high-ranking progressives and was led by Francis II Rákó ...

. In the Budapest offensive in the final stages of the Second World War, Soviet troops occupied the town at great cost, followed by four decades of communist rule. Meanwhile, it was famous for its cannery, wine and fish soup. The country's only nuclear power plant was built in Paks in the 1980s, the final decade of Soviet rule within the country.

Climate

Paks's climate is classified as

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

( Köppen ''Cfb'') closely bordering on a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

( Köppen ''Cfa''). The annual average temperature is , the hottest month in July is , and the coldest month is in January. The annual precipitation is , of which July is the wettest with , while January is the driest with only . The extreme temperature throughout the year ranged from on December 25, 2001 to on July 20, 2007.

Description

In the 19th century, several mansions were built in the center of the old town, such as those in Szent István Tér, the main square of the town. The Catholic three-isled, basilica style Sacred Heart church was consecrated in 1901. There is a tablet in the wall of the baroque Szeniczey mansion to commemorate Ferenc Deák, 'the Sage of the Country'. The Town Museum is housed in the former Cseh-Vigyázó mansion. The Calvinist and the Lutheran churches were built in 1775 and 1884 respectively. The Catholic Holy Spirit church, built according to the design of Imre Makovecz is considered to be an outstanding work of 20th-century architecture. There is a hundred-year-old

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

alley lining the walkway on the Danube River bank. The town hosts the Spring Festival at Whitsuntide and the International Festival of Blues, Jazz, Rock and Gastronomy.

Sport

Paksi FC is a Hungarian football club based in Paks. Atomerőmű SE is a Hungarian basketball club based in Paks.

Bronze Age hoard

A Bronze Age gold hoard of jewelry was found between Paks and

Dunaföldvár Dunaföldvár is a town in Tolna County, Hungary. Residents are Hungarians, with minority of Serbs. A Bronze Age gold hoard of jewellery was found between Paks and Dunaföldvár on the banks of the Danube in the nineteenth century. The treasure ...

on the right bank of the Danube in the 19th century. The treasure is now in the collections of the British Museum.

Twin towns – sister cities

Paks is twinned with: *

Galanta Galanta ( hu, Galánta, german: Gallandau) is a town (about 15,000 inhabitants) in the Trnava Region of Slovakia. It is situated 50 km due east of the Slovak capital Bratislava. Etymology The name is derived from a Slavic name ''Golęta'' ( ...

, Slovakia *

Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje ( sr-cyrl, Горњи Вакуф-Ускопље) is a town and municipality located in Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Etymology Although settlements i ...

, Bosnia and Herzegovina *

Loviisa Loviisa (; sv, Lovisa ; formerly Degerby) is a municipality and town of inhabitants () on the southern coast of Finland. It is located from Helsinki and from Porvoo. About 43 per cent of the population is Swedish-speaking. The municipality co ...

, Finland *

Novovoronezh Novovoronezh (russian: Нововоро́неж) is a town in Voronezh Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Don River south of Voronezh. Population: Administrative and municipal status Within the framework of administrative divisions ...

, Russia * Reichertshofen, Germany * Târgu Secuiesc Romania *

Vyshkovo Vyshkovo ( uk, Вишкове; hu, Visk) is an urban-type settlement in Khust Raion (district) of Zakarpattia Oblast (province) in western Ukraine., firstly mentioned in the year 1281. The town's population was 8,142 as of the 2001 Ukrainian Cen ...

, Ukraine

References

External links

* in Hungarian, English and Russian
The jewish community in Paks
On JewishGen website. Populated places in Tolna County Socialist planned cities Planned communities in Hungary Jewish communities in Hungary Jewish communities destroyed in the Holocaust {{Tolna-geo-stub