A delegation from the office of the mayor of Pécs visited Seattle between April 25-27 2013. Members of the delegation included Éva Mikes, Legal Director of Pécsi Városfejlesztési Zrt. (Pécs City Development PLC.) Péter Csizi, Deputy Mayor of Pécs and Member of the National Assembly, and János Girán, Head of Departments in the Office of the Mayor. They visited Seattle's most famous sights, met with local Hungarians, and with the president and members of the Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle Area. They also met and exchanged goodwill gifts with Deputy Mayor Darryl Smith.

 

In 2012, Dr. Zsuzsa Hantó, a University of Pécs sociologist, included Seattle in a book-signing tour of her recent book, a description of the lives of the families displaced by the Communist regime during the mid-fifties.  She gave talks about her book at the University of Washington and other venues in Seattle as well as other cities in the Northwest.

 

Also in 2012, Prof. Dr. Ágnes Dárdai Fisher, director of the Center of Knowledge library of the University of Pécs came to Seattle to exhange best practices in her field with local library leaders. She visited the King County and the Seattle Library systems and spent time getting to know and love Seattle.   

 

In 2011 SPSCA was awarded the Best Individual Project prize of $500 by the Seattle Sister Cities Association. The successful project was the 2010 donation of two gifts to the city of Pécs, which was chosen Cultural Capital of Europe that year. The program was a joint effort of several individuals and orgainizations,  including the Hungarian American Association of Washington and the University of Pécs. In October, in collaboration with St. James Cathedral, SPSCA organized the visit of Pécs Cathedral's organist, Mr. Szabolcs Szamosi, to give a public performance in Seattle St. James Cathedral. Mr. Szamosi also met with invited guests and the Hungarian community at a reception in his honor.

 

In 2010 SPSCA donated two gifts to Pécs to honor its being chosen the Cultural Capital of Europe by the European Union. One was a plaque made by a local indigenous artist, Mr. Andrew Peterson, and the other a totem-pole like wooden column, made by a Hungarian émigré, Dr. Laszlo Jozsa. Both gifts are now on permanent display in the new regional library and multi-media center of the University of Pécs. One of the artists and a SPSCA delegation attended the dedication ceremony in October.

 

In 2009 Seattle's Archbishop Alexander Brunett and a delegation including Seattle's cathedral organist, Mr. Joseph Adam, visited Pécs in honor of the millenium celebration of the fundation of the Pécs Archdiocese. The visit included a performance by Mr. Adam in the Pécs Cathedral and a visit to the city's famous Zsolnay ceramic museum.

 

In  March 2007 the University of Washington Chamber Choir did a concert tour in Hungary. During the Spring break, the UW Chamber Choir’s 30 members traveled to Hungary. Maria Kramar, president of the Seattle-Pecs Sister City Association accompanied the group. The Choir spent 4 days in Budapest, a few days in Pécs  and gave concerts in various locations. They were hosted for a reception and dinner by the Mayor of Budapest.

 

In October 2006, a "Kopjafa", which is a traditional symbolic Hungarian commemorative pole, analogous to the Native American Totem Pole was displaid in Seattle's City Hall, in remembrance of the 1956 revolution in Hungary against the Soviet rule.

 

In 2004, a delegation from the Trade Development Alliance of the Greater Seattle Area (TDA) was sent to Europe to explore business opportunites. Organized by SPSCA, the group of businessmen and leaders went to Pécs as well, accompanied by the president, Maria Kramar, and other members of SPSCA. The visit was co-sponsored by the Hungarian International Trade Development Agency and the TDA. Members of the business delegation met with the mayor of Pécs, the leaders of the regional chamber of commerce, as well as industry and university leaders. In the same year, initiated and organized by the SPSCA, 15 computers were sent by Boeing as a present to the Sister Cities School in Pécs.

 

In March 2002 the Mayor's delegation (5 members) together with the Youth House String Orchestra (25 members) of Pécs, visited Seattle. The program included a meeting with Seattle's Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis, a visit to various city departments, and a presentation on business opportunities in Hungary with members of the Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle. A trip to Boeing company was scheduled for the following day. The Youth House String Orchestra presented its repertoire at Overlake's Fulton Performing Art Center and also for the Hungarian American community on Mercer Island during the commemoration of Hungary's 1848 Revolution. The musicians and their conductor, Mr. Kornel Gyori, met the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Dan Peterson, General Manager of SYSO, hosted a lunche for them.

 

In 2000 the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra toured Hungary. There were 64 students and 24 parents travelling. Leutenat Governer Brad Owen also accampanied the goup. The orchestra, invited by ambassador Peter Tofu, performed at the US Embasssy in Budapest at the July 4th reception, and did a concert at the Liszt Ferenc Academy Music Hall as the final act of the millenium celebrations. After that they headed to Pécs to take part in the Pécs International Music Festival. Their performance at Pécs Cathedral was broadcasted by the Hungarian national TV.