Hungarian Tourists Flock to Tekirdag Museum Honoring Exiled Prince Rakoczi

A museum in the northwestern Türkiye city of Tekirdag draws steady interest from Hungarian visitors as the former home of Prince Ferenc Rakoczi II, the Hungarian national hero who spent his final years there.

Rakoczi led a uprising against the Habsburg dynasty's occupation of Hungary, and after his defeat he sought refuge in the Ottoman Empire. He resided in Tekirdag from 1720 to 1735, dying in the same house that now serves as a museum.

By September 2006, the site had welcomed 1,500 visitors that year, according to Hungary's honorary consul in Tekirdag, Erdogan Erken. He noted that Hungarian tourist traffic had declined after the dissolution of Yugoslavia removed a safe overland bus route to the city, pushing travelers toward Antalya instead.

Erken also noted that the Hungarian cities of Kecskemet and Sarospatak are sister cities of Tekirdag, with student exchanges helping to sustain ties between the two countries.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in October 2006, in its own words.