Paks

The settlement was already inhabited in ancient times. It has played a role in the Ottoman Empire times and during Rákóczi's War of Independence.

The Calvinist and the Lutheran churches were built in 1775 and 1884 respectively.

In the 19th century, several mansions were built in the center of the old town, such as those in Szent István Tér, the main square of the town. The Catholic three-isled, basilica style Sacred Heart church was consecrated in 1901. There is a tablet in the wall of the baroque Szeniczey mansion to commemorate Ferenc Deák, 'the Sage of the Country'. The Town Museum is housed in the former Cseh-Vigyázó mansion.

A Bronze Age gold hoard of jewelry was found between Paks and Dunaföldvár on the right bank of the Danube in the 19th century. The treasure is now in the collections of the British Museum.[https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/search.aspx?searchText=paks British Museum Collection]

The Catholic Holy Spirit church, built according to the design of Imre Makovecz is considered to be an outstanding work of 20th-century architecture. There is a hundred-year-old chestnut alley lining the walkway on the Danube River bank. The town hosts the Spring Festival at Whitsuntide and the International Festival of Blues, Jazz, Rock and Gastronomy.

In the final stages of the Second World War, Soviet troops occupied the town at great cost in the Budapest Offensive. This was followed by four decades of communist rule. Meanwhile, it was famous for its cannery, wine and fish soup.

The Paks Nuclear Power Plant was built in the town in the 1980s, the final decade of Soviet rule within the country.

Paks's climate is classified as oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) closely bordering on a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). The annual average temperature is {{Convert|11.1|C}}, the hottest month in July is {{Convert|21.9|C}}, and the coldest month is {{Convert|0.1|C}} in January. The annual precipitation is {{Convert|603.5|mm}}, of which July is the wettest with {{Convert|68.5|mm}}, while January is the driest with only {{Convert|33.4|mm}}. The extreme temperature throughout the year ranged from {{Convert|-23.3|C}} on 25 December 2001 to {{Convert|40.6|C}} on 20 July 2007.

{{Weather box

|location = Paks, 1991−2020 normals

|width = auto

|metric first = yes

|single line = yes

|collapsed = yes

|Jan record high C = 17.4

|Feb record high C = 20.9

|Mar record high C = 24.7

|Apr record high C = 31.7

|May record high C = 33.8

|Jun record high C = 36.8

|Jul record high C = 40.6

|Aug record high C = 39.1

|Sep record high C = 36.1

|Oct record high C = 28.8

|Nov record high C = 23.6

|Dec record high C = 18.6

|year record high C = 40.6

|Jan high C = 3.9

|Feb high C = 6.7

|Mar high C = 12.2

|Apr high C = 18.6

|May high C = 23.3

|Jun high C = 27.0

|Jul high C = 29.1

|Aug high C = 29.1

|Sep high C = 23.3

|Oct high C = 17.6

|Nov high C = 10.4

|Dec high C = 4.2

|year high C = 17.1

|Jan mean C = 0.1

|Feb mean C = 1.7

|Mar mean C = 6.2

|Apr mean C = 11.8

|May mean C = 16.4

|Jun mean C = 20.1

|Jul mean C = 21.9

|Aug mean C = 21.5

|Sep mean C = 16.2

|Oct mean C = 10.9

|Nov mean C = 5.8

|Dec mean C = 0.9

|year mean C = 11.1

|Jan low C = -3.3

|Feb low C = -2.6

|Mar low C = 0.6

|Apr low C = 4.9

|May low C = 9.7

|Jun low C = 13.3

|Jul low C = 14.8

|Aug low C = 14.4

|Sep low C = 10.2

|Oct low C = 5.6

|Nov low C = 1.8

|Dec low C = -2.1

|year low C = 5.6

|Jan record low C = -22.7

|Feb record low C = -21.5

|Mar record low C = -21.4

|Apr record low C = -8.8

|May record low C = -2.9

|Jun record low C = 1.6

|Jul record low C = 5.1

|Aug record low C = 5.2

|Sep record low C = -0.5

|Oct record low C = -11.0

|Nov record low C = -16.0

|Dec record low C = -23.3

|year record low C = -23.3

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 33.4

|Feb precipitation mm = 38.3

|Mar precipitation mm = 32.2

|Apr precipitation mm = 36.7

|May precipitation mm = 59.4

|Jun precipitation mm = 64.9

|Jul precipitation mm = 68.5

|Aug precipitation mm = 58.3

|Sep precipitation mm = 61.6

|Oct precipitation mm = 52.2

|Nov precipitation mm = 50.8

|Dec precipitation mm = 47.2

|year precipitation mm = 603.5

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 6.1

|Feb precipitation days = 6.9

|Mar precipitation days = 5.8

|Apr precipitation days = 6.5

|May precipitation days = 8.7

|Jun precipitation days = 7.7

|Jul precipitation days = 6.9

|Aug precipitation days = 6.3

|Sep precipitation days = 6.7

|Oct precipitation days = 6.6

|Nov precipitation days = 7.6

|Dec precipitation days = 7.7

|year precipitation days = 83.5

|Jan humidity = 82.7

|Feb humidity = 76.7

|Mar humidity = 67.7

|Apr humidity = 62.5

|May humidity = 66.2

|Jun humidity = 67.3

|Jul humidity = 65.5

|Aug humidity = 66.7

|Sep humidity = 72.8

|Oct humidity = 78.2

|Nov humidity = 83.7

|Dec humidity = 85.2

|year humidity = 72.9

|source 1 = NOAA{{cite web

|url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Hungary/CSV/Paks_12950.csv

|title = Paks Climate Normals 1991-2020

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|access-date = 17 September 2023

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230917013559/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Hungary/CSV/Paks_12950.csv

|archive-date = 2023-09-17}}

}}

Paksi FC is a Hungarian football club based in Paks.

Atomerőmű SE is a Hungarian basketball club based in Paks.

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Hungary}}

Paks is twinned with:{{cite web |title=Testvérvárosok, partnervárosok|url=https://paks.hu/mi-paksiak/testvervarosok/|website=paks.hu|publisher=Paks|language=hu|access-date=2020-11-09}}

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}

• {{flagicon|SVK}} Galanta, Slovakia
• {{flagicon|BIH}} Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje, Bosnia and Herzegovina

• {{flagicon|FIN}} Loviisa, Finland
• {{flagicon|RUS}} Novovoronezh, Russia
• {{flagicon|GER}} Reichertshofen, Germany
• {{flagicon|ROU}} Târgu Secuiesc Romania
• {{flagicon|UKR}} Vyshkovo, Ukraine

{{div col end}}

• Forró for another Bronze Age hoard from Hungary
• Zsujta for a Bronze Age hoard from northern Hungary

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Paks}}

• {{Official website|http://paks.hu/}} in Hungarian, English and Russian
• [https://www.jewishgen.org/Communities/community.php?usbgn=-863807 The jewish community in Paks] On JewishGen website.

{{Paks District}}

{{Tolna}}

{{Hungary's most flowery settlements}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Populated places in Tolna County

Category:Socialist planned cities

Category:Planned communities in Hungary

Category:Jewish communities in Hungary

{{Tolna-geo-stub}}