Our second transfer visit for the EPIC project took us to Miskolc, a former industrial city situated in northern Hungary amongst the Bükk Mountains.

Together with transfer partners from Bilbao and Pilsen and lead city Prato, we enjoyed hearing updates since our last transfer meeting in Bilbao and discussing the opportunities and challenges of tourism in Miskolc.

Transfer visits are particularly valuable for EPIC partners as they allow us not only to gather, but to share place-specific experiences. Central to Miskolc’s industrial heritage is a 200-year history of iron and steel production, which at one point employed 15,000 people.

Today, the industrial area covers around 130 hectares, with parts owned by the municipality and parts owned and used by more than 150 operators. Through a bus tour and presentation by the Miskolc Development Centre, we learned more about the complexities of this space and its potential.

Other visits included experiencing the Edible Forest – Forest Gastroexpress and its wide range of products made from local forests, including beech tree nuts, chutney, and wild garlic and onions. We also dined at the award-winning forest-centred restaurant vegallomasbistroandwine.

Forest gastronomy in Miskolc allows them to preserve knowledge from older generations while providing sustainable and locally sourced food. The Edible Forest was recognised as one of the top three sustainable tourism initiatives in the Green Destinations Top 100 Stories 2026.

Additionally, we were given a tour of the medieval Diósgyőr Castle, originally built in the 13th century and currently being reconstructed, with the hope of expanding the castle’s offerings as a historical place as well as a space for restaurants and public gatherings.

On day two, we collectively engaged in a transfer session which outlined timelines, roadmaps and the Transfer Study, as well as providing an opportunity for networking amongst partners to share and collaborate on common experiences.

Next, through a peer review activity, all partners engaged with three challenges posed by Miskolc. Partners were able to reflect on the previous day’s experiences and use these to help Miskolc refine its pilot action. We concluded with a final tour of the city and a visit to the recently reopened cave bath Miskolctapolca Barlangfürdő.

We look forward to our next transfer visit in Prato!

EPIC is funded the European Urban Initiative and led by the Municipality of Prato.