Hortobágy Bridge Fair

The traditional Hortobágy Bridge Fair takes place at its usual venue at the foot of the nine-arch bridge at this four-day long week-end, but, given the epidemic situation, fewer people are allowed to sell their products.

The nation-wide famous bridge fair is inseparable from the nine-arch bridge. It both gave the name of the fair and functions as its symbol, too. It is one of the important and internationally considered Hungarian fairs. Its specialty: the historical development and that it is held on the puszta.

The bridge fair of the Hortobágy developed as one of the fairs of nearby Debrecen. Debrecen, at the geographically important crossing of the east-west and north-south roads, soon became a significant market-place. It received a market-licence in 1405, which was followed by other privileges later.

In 1466, Erzsébet Szilágyi grants an unexampled market-privilege to one street of the town, the Mester ('Master') Street and one year later to the Homok, today Csapó, Street. Then the fair was held on the Piac utca ('Market Street'). All of the market places had their own kind of special articles. During the town-planning, these were liquidated. The early differentiation was revived in the 19th century fair of Hortobágy that started as an animal-fair.