When I began exploring Szeged and saw a big cake-like construction in the City Center, as you can imagine, I was pretty surprised.
We’re talking a BIG cake here. It has “Szeged 300” written on the side and, although the giant cake looks very appealing, it kind of clashes with the buildings that surround it.
I actually walked past the construction on a few different occasions without realizing it was possible to go inside. It was a case of bad timing. I just happened to be in Szeged city centre when the big cake was shut.
Then one day I noticed a sign on the cake that said the entrance was on the other side. That’s when I realized there was more to this cake than met the eye. I was looking at a cake on a mission. One with a purpose.
I walked to the other side and, low and behold, there was indeed a door and it was open but I didn’t enter. At that point, I wasn’t sure what was inside, how much time I would need, or if I would need to pay. I also had a lot of exploring to do so I postponed my big cake experience until another day.
The Big Cake of Szeged Explained
The city of Szeged celebrates its 300th anniversary this year (2019) and what better way to celebrate than with a great big cake? However, it’s only a temporary structure. The cake was installed in Klauzál Square in May and will remain there until the end of August. It opens every day at 10 am, closes at 8 pm, and has enough room to hold 25 guests at a time. As for the price, adults pay 1,390 HUF (€4.27) and there are concessions for families, groups, and students, etc. Children under six and disabled people get to enjoy the big cake for free. Nice! Who would say no to some free cake?
Inside the Cake
I’ve done a lot of things in my life, but walking into a giant cake? That’s something new. How many people can say they’ve done that? I had to do it.
When you enter the cake the first thing you see is a kind of reception desk. That’s where you pay. There is one set of black curtains to the left and another to the right. The curtains on the right lead to an area where you can enjoy an interactive experience involving digital games. That’s not my kind of thing, so I gave it a miss, but for anyone going on a big cake adventure with their kids, it’s probably going to be the highlight of the day.
The curtains to the left lead to a widescreen cinema that has a couple of long, curved benches inside. The cinema plays the same 20-minute show, back to back, all through the day. It tells the history of Szeged. The commentary is in Hungarian, but there are English subtitles.
Szeged has an interesting history. There’s no doubt about it. First, it was burned down and destroyed, then, after it was rebuilt, it was wiped out by a terrible flood in 1879 and had to be rebuilt again.
Interesting as the story is, history is not my thing. I’m interested in the present, not the past. My visit was not fuelled by an interest in how the present city came about, I was only there because I was curious to see inside the big cake.
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