We kindly invite you to Szeged to attend the 41st Meeting of the European Pancreatic Club in the beginning of July 2009.

Szeged is a beautiful and spectacular city in Hungary situated on the banks of the river Tisza which is home to around 170,000 people. It lies on Hungary’s south-eastern border, just south of the mouth of the Maros River. Szeged is the main city of Csongrád county and serves as a commercial and cultural centre of the region. The climate is very pleasant and is well known for its sunny summers with temperatures ranging between 25-35 °C (77-95 °F). Szeged gets an average of 2,000 hours of sunshine each year (that’s 83.5 days of daylight), no wonder its often called the City of Sunshine. Local industry is reputed for food processing and production. Szeged is especially famous for its two most prominent agricultural products: the Pick brand salami and one of the most distinctive Hungarian spices: the paprika. The paprika gets it’s red color and divine flavor from an extended exposure to sunlight, which makes Szeged an ideal place to grow this spice. Textiles, oil and natural gas processing, and clothing production are also of importance to the region. Theaters, cinemas, clubs, riverside swimming pools and sport grounds provide plenty of opportunities for recreation. There are several large parks and a famous botanical garden to stroll through. Fine restaurants are situated all over Szeged offering various national and international cuisines including Greek, Chinese, Italian, German, Indian, Transylvanian and Arabic. Public transportation which is in the form of streetcars, trolleybuses and buses is so extensive that you can virtually reach every corner of the city.

Since the last EPC meeting in Hungary (1988), Hungarian researchers have further developed their interest in both pancreatic research and clinical pancreatology. Szeged is a centre of excellence in the field of pancreatic research, as well as being a spectacular town situated in a pleasant area which enjoys plenty of sunshine. Therefore, we feel it is an ideal place to hold a European Pancreatic Club Meeting. It goes without saying that local organizers intend to provide a friendly atmosphere by preparing a variety of cultural and relaxational programmes to accompany the congress itself.

We are certain that everyone will enjoy the 41st EPC 2009 Meeting to be held in Szeged.

on behalf of the organizing committee,

Peter Hegyi,
President of the EPC