The Municipality of Debrecen has once again joined the nationwide program “The Most Beautiful Kitchen Gardens – Hungary’s Most Beautiful Kitchen Gardens.” The local results of the competition were announced at an award ceremony held in the courtyard of Debrecen City Hall on September 2, 2026, by Deputy Mayor Ákos Balázs and Chief Gardener András Kuhn.
In his welcome address, Ákos Balázs spoke about how gardens attract and inspire people of all ages to create something good and beautiful, while also helping genuine communities to form. As he explained, he learned from his parents that gardening is part of everyday life, and he still tends his family’s vegetable garden today. Recently, for example, he picked pears that were made into compote for the family’s Sunday lunch.
The deputy mayor emphasized that the Municipality of Debrecen aims to create opportunities for building communities whose members value healthy food and, whenever possible, grow it themselves at home or in the city’s community gardens. The number of community gardens in Debrecen continues to grow, while the city also encourages residents not to limit their home gardens to lawns and ornamental plants, but to make space for traditional vegetable gardening as well.
As Ákos Balázs highlighted, he firmly believes that growing food at home contributes to a healthier diet while also helping to combat food waste. People tend to value and make full use of what they produce themselves, through their own work, just as their grandparents once did. The gardeners who entered “The Most Beautiful Kitchen Gardens – Hungary’s Most Beautiful Kitchen Gardens” program and competition are therefore pioneers in spreading the message that gardening is worthwhile and rewarding. Gardening is also an excellent way to relieve stress and provides regular physical activity, making it an occupation that benefits people both mentally and physically. Debrecen joins the program year after year in pursuit of these shared goals.
Ákos Balázs thanked his colleagues, eco-managers Veronika Szentpéteri-Nagy and Veronika Csurgay, for their work in providing professional mentoring for the community gardens, as well as for their contribution to Debrecen’s participation in the competition for the title of European Green Capital 2027. In 2025, Debrecen was selected among the three best sustainable cities in Europe in the competition, allowing the city to use the designation “European Green Capital 2027 finalist” in its official communications and image-building activities.
The deputy mayor noted that Debrecen will naturally enter the European Green Capital competition again in the future, while continuing to strengthen its expertise in nature conservation and environmental protection. The city’s objectives are summarized in the Green Code, one of the key elements of which is promoting the local production of healthy food and gardening, as well as creating new community gardens. These developments were also assessed positively by the judges in Debrecen’s European Green Capital 2027 application.
According to the jury’s decision in the 2026 local competition of the nationwide “The Most Beautiful Kitchen Gardens – Hungary’s Most Beautiful Kitchen Gardens” program:
In the Standard category, Mrs. Gábor Szemán won first place, while Mrs. Miklós Boros, as well as Emerencia Kártik and Amira Jázmin Kártik, received second place.
In the Community category, the Tócóskert Community Garden won first place. The Újkert Community Garden, Vénkert Community Garden, Görgey Street Kindergarten, Pitypang Group of Nagyerdő Kindergarten, and the Pöttöm Garden of Táncsics Mihály Street Kindergarten all received second place.
In the Mini category, Angéla Milei won first place.
The event also featured a letter of appreciation from Szilvia Sári Kovács, the founder and program director of “The Most Beautiful Kitchen Gardens – Hungary’s Most Beautiful Kitchen Gardens.” Every award recipient received a copy of the letter. As a gift from the Municipality of Debrecen, the winners will also receive rainwater collection containers, as well as packages of flower bulbs.
The local supporters of the program were presented with certificates of appreciation.
Source, photo: debrecen.hu
