Hugging the east bank of the Danube River, Baja is a lively city near Hungary’s southern border with Croatia and Serbia. It was established in the 14th century by the Bajai family and served as an important operational hub during the Ottoman Conquest of the 16th and 17th centuries.
Things to do in Baja
One of Baja’s most important cultural institutions is the Istvan Türr Museum, which was founded in 1914 based on a collection gifted to the city by Frigyes Deri. Its exhibits explore life on the Danube and Baja’s role as a trade port, as well as the ethnographic groups that live in the region. In addition to local artworks, there are objects uncovered from a Sarmatian burial ground on display.
Art enthusiasts can visit the Eber Emlekhaz, which occupies the former house of the early 20th-century Hungarian painter Sandor Eber. It details his studies at the Model Drawing School in Budapest before becoming a professor at the Teacher Training Institute in Baja. Art Nouveau paintings and examples of Eber’s monumental frescoes are on display.
Extending for more than 30 kilometres through Danube-Drava National Park is the Gemec State Forest Railway, a narrow-gauge line that departs from the Pörböly Ecotourism Centre. It explores the largest contiguous floodplain forest in Hungary and an important habitat for roe and red deer, wild boar and a variety of waterfowl. The park’s hidden backwaters are ideally explored by canoe or along the network of nature trails.
Getting around Baja
Baja is around two hours’ drive from Budapest and Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport, which has flights to destinations across the globe. Regular trains connect to the Baja railway station and buses travel throughout the city. The centre of Baja can easily be explored on foot.