Hungary
Mohacs
Mohács: A Battlefield Memorial and the Busó Carnival
- Port traffic
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Good to know
Where Ships Tie Up
River ships tie up on the Danube at Mohács, on the right bank where most of the town lies, and your cruise line will tell you the exact mooring. The main square, Széchenyi tér, is the center of the town.
- Mohács is about 10 km from the Croatian border.
- Always carry your passport. Police can ask to see ID, and a copy is not accepted.
- The currency is the Hungarian forint.
Mohács on Your Own
Mohács is a small town, and its main square and churches are in the center. The battlefield memorial lies outside the town to the south.
- Széchenyi tér: The main square took its present shape between 1896 and 1940. The Votive Church dominates it, with the Town Hall on one side.
- The Votive Church: Its cornerstone was laid in 1926 for the 400th anniversary of the battle. The Byzantine-style church has a dome 30 m high and holds 3,600 people.
- The Town Hall: Built from 1924 to 1926, it houses the tourist office, and a tapestry by István Bán inside shows the busós crossing the Danube.
- Holy Trinity Church: The Serbian Orthodox church was built in 1732 by Serbian refugees and has 18th-century murals.
- The ferry: A small ferry crosses every half hour to Újmohács, the part of town on Mohács Island.
- The battlefield: The Mohács National Memorial is south of the town, beside road 5702 at Sátorhely.
- Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own.
- Watch the clock: All-aboard is given in ship's time, which may not match the local clocks or your phone.
Tipping in Hungary
Tips are given in Hungary for some services, including restaurants, bars and taxis. About 10 percent is usually enough.
- Service fee: Some bars and restaurants add a 10 percent service fee, called szervizdíj, and then a tip is not expected.
- Currency: Prices are in forints. Euros are accepted at most hotels and at some restaurants and shops.
Culture and Local Life
Mohács has long been a meeting point of peoples, with Hungarians, Croats, Serbs and Germans all part of its story. Its Busó carnival comes from the town's Šokci Croats.
- The Busójárás: Each year at the end of the carnival season, usually in February, busós in traditional masks parade through the town with folk music and dancing. The celebration lasts six days and ends on the day before Ash Wednesday.
- The legend: In the most popular story, townspeople hiding from the Ottomans in the swamps and woods returned on a stormy night in frightening masks, and the occupiers fled. An older story says the busós are chasing away winter.
- UNESCO: The Busó festivities were added to UNESCO's list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2009.
- Danube Swabians: Until the Second World War, German-speaking settlers, whose ancestors came from the Fulda area in the 17th and 18th centuries, made up most of the town's people. Most were expelled between 1945 and 1948.
A Brief History
Two battles fought near Mohács mark the beginning and the end of Ottoman rule in Hungary. Between them, the town was the seat of an Ottoman district, and afterward it grew as a Danube port.
- Roman times: A Roman camp stood on the Danube near Mohács.
- 1093: The town is first mentioned in records.
- August 29, 1526: The Ottoman army under Sultan Suleiman defeated the Hungarian army south of the town. King Louis II drowned in a marshy stream as he fled, and the defeat opened the way to Ottoman rule.
- Under Ottoman rule: Mohács was the administrative seat of an Ottoman sanjak, or district.
- 1687: An allied Christian army defeated the Ottomans at Nagyharsány, about 20 km to the west, in the battle that marked the end of Ottoman domination of Hungary.
- 1732: Serbian refugees built the Orthodox Holy Trinity Church.
- 1857: A railway of 56 km opened to Pécs, carrying coal from its mines to the Danube for shipping.
- 1945 to 1948: Most of the German-speaking population was expelled.
- 1976: The national memorial on the battlefield opened for the 450th anniversary of the battle.
- To learn more ashore: The Mohács National Memorial at Sátorhely tells the story of the battle with films and carved wooden grave markers.
Mohács with Children
Mohács is a quiet stop for families, and the battlefield memorial is the place that holds children's attention. Its films are made for different ages, from kindergarten children to adults.
- Younger children: Ride the small ferry across to Mohács Island and back.
- School age: At the national memorial, separate films explain the battle for kindergarten children, schoolchildren and adults, and paths circle a field of carved wooden grave markers.
- Teenagers: Visit the Battlefield Memorial Chapel of 1816 in the town cemetery, where a cannon left from the 1687 battle stands in a niche.
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