v      Official club name: The Friendship Force of Pécs

v      Closest major airport(s): Budapest, FerihegyInternationalAirport

v      Cost of transportation between the airport and our city (based on 20 people): By bus: appr. USD 26/person By train: appr. USD 24/person By private car: appr. USD 20/person

v      The maximum number of Ambassadors our club can host: 24

v      About the club:  The Friendship Force of Hungary was founded in 1990 and the Friendship Force of Pécs has been an independent club since 1999. We have approximately 40 members, most of which are families. Our members are usually between 40 and 60 years old, but we also have some younger people in the club. Among the professions represented are teachers, doctors, engineers, lawyers, private entrepreneurs and students. We welcome one incoming and send one outgoing exchange a year. The members of the club live in the city or nearby in flats or houses of their own.

v      About the region: Pécs lies in the Southwest part of Hungary, at the foot of the Mecsek hills. The city, which is a commercial and cultural centre and a university town, has ca. 160 000 inhabitants. The history of the settlement is very rich and we have a lot of Roman, Turkish and medieval monuments and historical buildings. The face of the city has always been influenced by the several different nationalities living here: apart from Hungarians there are German, Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian minorities living next to each other in peace. The downtown still reflects this historical atmosphere. During the 20th century and especially in socialist times Pécs was a coal-mining center but most of the mines have been closed down because of economic reasons. To be able to provide workplaces now the city is trying to develop its traditional food-processing industries and to attract foreign industrial investments. The climate is mild, between continental and Mediterranean. We recommend May or September as the best time for incoming exchanges.

v      About the exchange: The Ambassadors usually arrive at Budapest Ferihegy Int. Airport, which is ca. 200 km (125 miles) from Pécs. Usually we organize transportation by bus or by minivans, depending on the number of Ambassadors. We usually organise two longer trips: one to Lake Balaton and the other to Ópusztaszer, to the NationalMemorial Park. Among the other program possibilities are: sightseeing in Pécs, visit to the Zsolnay china factory, several museums (fine arts, glove museum, pipe museum, stove museum, etc.), and a boat trip in a natural park, bathing in a spa, visit to a school or kindergarten. Usually there is a welcome and a farewell party and we always try to organise an official receiving by the local authority or by the mayor of a nearby village. On request we are able to organise a sightseeing trip to Budapest as well. Of course, not all of these can be included in a one-week exchange; therefore we always fit the programs to the Ambassadors' interests. Depending on this, the usual extra cost (incl. transportation to and from the airport, entrance fees, etc.) is 60-80 USD/person.