Veszprém (; german: Weißbrunn, sl, Belomost) is one of the oldest urban areas in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

, and a city with county rights. It lies approximately north of the Lake Balaton. It is the administrative center of the county ( comitatus or 'megye') of the same name.

Etymology

The name of the city originates from a Slavic personal name ''Bezprem'' or '' Bezprym'' ( Proto-Slavic ''Bezprěmъ'') meaning "stubborn", "self-confident, not willing to retreat". ''Besprem'' (before 1002), ''Vezprem'' (1086), ''Bezpremensis'' (1109). The form ''Vezprem'' originates in early medieval scribal habits and frequent exchange of ''B'' and ''V'' under the influence of Greek. The city was named either after a chieftain, or the son of

Judith of Hungary Judith of Hungary ( pl, Judyta węgierska; b. Esztergom, ca. 969 - d. Kraków?, ca. 988) was a Hungarian princess and member of the House of Arpad. She was briefly married to the Piast duke of Poland, Bolesław the Brave. According to some sourc ...

, who settled here after her husband Boleslaus I of Poland expelled her and her son.

Location and legend

The city can be reached via the M7 highway and Road 8. It can also be reached from Győr via Road 82 and from

Székesfehérvár Székesfehérvár (; german: Stuhlweißenburg ), known colloquially as Fehérvár ("white castle"), is a city in central Hungary, and the country's ninth-largest city. It is the regional capital of Central Transdanubia, and the centre of Fejér ...

via Road 8. According to legend, Veszprém was founded on seven hills. The seven hills are Várhegy (Castle Hill), Benedek-hegy (St. Benedict Hill), Jeruzsálem-hegy (Jerusalem Hill), Temetőhegy (Cemetery Hill), Gulyadomb (Herd Hill), Kálvária-domb (Calvary Hill), and Cserhát.

History

Anonymus Belæ Regis Notarius Anonymus is the Latin spelling of anonymous, traditionally used by scholars in the humanities for any ancient writer whose name is not known, or to a manuscript of their work. Such writers have left valuable historical or literary records through ...

'' (the anonymous notary of King

Béla III Béla may refer to: * Béla (crater), an elongated lunar crater * Béla (given name), a common Hungarian male given name See also * Bela (disambiguation) * Belá (disambiguation) * Bělá (disambiguation) Bělá, derived from ''bílá'' (''whit ...

) wrote that a castle already stood here when the

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Urali ...

first occupied the area. The castle was probably a 9th-century

Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages * Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany * East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...

fortress. The castles of Veszprém,

Esztergom Esztergom ( ; german: Gran; la, Solva or ; sk, Ostrihom, known by alternative names) is a city with county rights in northern Hungary, northwest of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom County, on the right bank of the river Danu ...

and

, were the earliest Hungarian stone castles, which had already been built during the reign of High Prince Géza, a time when motte castles were much more common. Veszprém had an important religious role during the struggle to make

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

the official religion of

- Stephen I of Hungary defeated the armies of his chief opponent,

Koppány Koppány, also known as Cupan, was the Duke of Somogy in Hungary in the late 10th century. According to modern scholars' consensus view, he was a member of the royal Árpád dynasty. Koppány was the lord of the southern region of Transdanubia dur ...

, near Veszprém. The city became the first episcopal seat of Hungary in 1009 and an archiepiscopal seat in 1993. ''Comitatus Veszprém'' was one of the earliest historical counties of Hungary. Veszprém was the favorite city of Queen Gisela, the wife of St. Stephen. For centuries, the queens of Hungary were crowned by the

bishop of Veszprém A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

. The city is still often called "the city of queens". In the year 1294 Queen Fenenna confirmed that, at that time, the former

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022 ...

had the privilege to collect the donations of the church in the Veszprém County. Veszprém was among the first Hungarian cities to have a university - students studied law and arts here for several centuries. The university was destroyed by fire in 1276, when

Peter I Csák Peter (I) from the kindred Csák ( hu, Csák nembeli (I.) Péter; ''c''. 1240 – 1283 or 1284) was a powerful Hungarian baron, landowner and military leader, who held several secular positions during the reign of kings Stephen V and Ladislaus IV ...

invaded and devastated the

Diocese of Veszprém In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

. Veszprém became a university town again in the 20th century. Veszprém changed hands between Austrians and Ottomans until 1684 after the

Battle of Mohács The Battle of Mohács (; hu, mohácsi csata, tr, Mohaç Muharebesi or Mohaç Savaşı) was fought on 29 August 1526 near Mohács, Kingdom of Hungary, between the forces of the Kingdom of Hungary and its allies, led by Louis II, and those ...

in 1526. It was known as 'Pespirim' and was a sanjak centre in Budin Province during Ottoman rule. The town was plundered by the Turks in 1552, but they could not maintain occupation: the region north of Lake Balaton remained in the

Kingdom of Hungary (1538–1867) The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...

(captaincy between Balaton and Drava). The castle was demolished in 1706. Until 1918, ''VESZPRIM'' (also named ''WESZPRIM'' and ''WESPRIM'' near 1850, and ''WEISSBRUNN'' in German) was part of the

Austrian monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

/Austria-Hungary, Kingdom of Hungary; in Transleithania after the

compromise of 1867 The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 (german: Ausgleich, hu, Kiegyezés) established the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. The Compromise only partially re-established the former pre-1848 sovereignty and status of the Kingdom of Hungary ...

in the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Veszprém was captured by Soviet troops of the

3rd Ukrainian Front The 3rd Ukrainian Front (Russian: Третий Украинский фронт) was a Front of the Red Army during World War II. It was founded on 20 October 1943, on the basis of a Stavka order of October 16, 1943, by renaming the Southwester ...

on 23 March 1945 in the course of the Vienna Offensive.

Economy

The Hungarian automotive plastic spare parts manufacturer ''Videoton Plastic'' (part of Videoton), the Hungarian kiosk manufacturer ''Kiosksystems'', the Hungarian shutter manufacturer ''Roll-Lux'', the Hungarian label manufacturer ''Imprenta'', the Hungarian tool manufacturer ''Solidsteel'', the Hungarian technical ceramics manufacturer ''Bakony Ipari Kerámia'', the Hungarian furniture manufacturer ''Balaton Bútor'', the Hungarian machine manufacturer ''Flexmont'', the Hungarian watermanagement company ''PureAqua'', the Hungarian automotive spare parts manufacturer ''Win-Pres'', the Hungarian construction company ''VEMÉVSZER'', the Hungarian metal manufacturer ''Ferro-Trio'', the Hungarian ''OOK Printhouse'', the Hungarian toolmanufacturer ''Plasticor'', the Hungarian machine manufacturer ''Transmoduls'', the Hungarian ''Prospektus Printhouse'' have both their headquarters and main production facilities in Veszprém. The French pharmaceutical company ''Citoxlab'', the Austrian plaster manufacturer Lasselsberger-Knauf, the Swiss electric motor manufacturer

Maxon Motor Maxon Group is a Swiss manufacturer and supplier of high-precision motor systems. The group, including its subsidiaries, offers electric DC motors, AC motors, encoders (sensors), gears, and electric motor controllers. History On December 5, 196 ...

, the Austrian tile manufacturer ''Bramac'', the French automotive spare parts manufacturer

Valeo Valeo is a French global automotive supplier headquartered in France, listed on the Paris Stock Exchange ( CAC-40 Index). It supplies a wide range of products to automakers and the aftermarket. The Group employs 113,600 people in 33 countries wo ...

, the German electromagnetical controlsystems manufacturer ''nass magnet'', the German automotive spare parts manufacturer

Continental AG Continental AG, commonly known as Continental or colloquially as Conti, is a German multinational automotive parts manufacturing company specializing in tires, brake systems, interior electronics, automotive safety, powertrain and chassis compo ...

, the German automotive spare parts manufacturer ''Thun'', the German sensor manufacturer

Pepperl+Fuchs Pepperl+Fuchs SE is a German multinational company with its headquarters in Mannheim, Germany. The company manufactures products for fabrication and process automation and is specialized in sensor manufacturing, for example, sensors that are ...

, the Austrian chimney and ventilation system manufacturer Schiedel, the American power supply security company ''CoreComm'', the German sensor manufacturer ''Balluff'', the German automotive spare parts manufacturer ''Jost'', the German health devices manufacturer

Beurer Beurer GmbH is a German family-owned Mittelstand manufacturer of electrical devices for health and well-being. Originally a manufacturer of electric blankets, the company began diversifying its product line in the 1980s and now sell some 2,200 produ ...

, the British-Dutch food producer

Unilever Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy drink, t ...

and the Hungarian dairy product manufacturer ''Pannontej'' operate production plants in the city. The Dutch

General Logistics Systems General Logistics Systems B.V., also known as GLS, is a British-owned logistics company based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The company was known as German Parcel when it was founded in 1989, by Rico Back. It was subsequently rebranded as GLS and is ...

, the Hungarian Magyar Posta, the German

Penny Market Penny or internationally Penny Market (in Bavaria and Austria ''Penny Markt'') is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany, which operates 3,550 stores. The market was founded by Leibbrand Gruppe in 1973; since 1989, it has been fully o ...

, the Hungarian ''Locargo'' and the Austrian ''Persped'' have logistics centres there. The Hungarian owned ''Vöröskő'' electrical retailer (holder of the brand

Euronics Euronics International Ltd. is an international association of over 11,000 independent electrical retailers in 37 countries. It functions as a leading international electrical retail group on behalf of its members, and is based in Amsterdam ...

in Hungary) is also based in the city. The Veszprém Aréna provides place besides sport events for exhibitions and conferences.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census beside the 83.9% Hungarian majority the city has a historical

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

minority numbering 2.4% of the population. The second largest ethnic group is the

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

with 0.7%. The others are all marginal.KSH - Veszprém, 2011
/ref> The religious affiliation of the citizens has a Catholic majority with 38.9%

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

and 0.3%

Greek Catholic The term Greek Catholic Church can refer to a number of Eastern Catholic Churches following the Byzantine (Greek) liturgy, considered collectively or individually. The terms Greek Catholic, Greek Catholic church or Byzantine Catholic, Byzantine Ca ...

. The

Calvinists Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

(7.0%) have the second, the Lutherans (2.1%) the third largest denomination in the city. 20.6% are not religious.KSH - Veszprém, 2011
/ref> 11-es busz (REM-840)

Politics

The current mayor of Veszprém is Gyula Porga (''Fidesz-KDNP''). The local Municipal Assembly, elected at the 2019 local government elections, is made up of 18 members (1 Mayor, 12 Individual constituencies MEPs and 5 Compensation List MEPs) divided into this political parties and alliances:

Public transport

The city's public transportation consists exclusively of buses, which are run by the city-funded company V-Busz. 30 bus lines run throughout the city, including lines 44 and 45 which are night buses. All buses are easily recognizable even from a distance due to their purple livery. Tickets can be purchased on the buses, from ticket machines across the city and at bus stations from the ticket desks. V-Busz took over the city's public transportation in 2018 from the regional, state-funded bus company (ÉNYKK) due to a lack of funding and an old rolling stock of buses, some of which were from the mid 80s.

Notable people

Péter Andorka Péter Andorka (born 19 July 1984) is a Hungarian former football player.Profile at MLSZ
�� mlsz.hu

...

(born in 1984), footballer * Leopold Auer (1845–1930), violinist, academic, conductor and composer *

Marian Cozma Marian Cozma (8 September 1982 – 8 February 2009) was a Romanians, Romanian Team handball, handball player. He was born in Tei, Bucharest and died in Veszprém, Hungary after being attacked and stabbed in a nightclub fight. During his caree ...

(1982–2009), handball player *

Tamás Kádár Tamás Kádár (born 14 March 1990) is a Hungarian professional footballer who plays for Nemzeti Bajnokság I club Újpest. He is a defender and is equally capable at centre-back or left-back. He made his debut for Zalaegerszegi TE at the age ...

(born 1990), footballer * Attila Mesterházy (born 1974), politician (

MSZP The Hungarian Socialist Party ( hu, Magyar Szocialista Párt), commonly known by its acronym MSZP, is a centre-left social-democratic and pro-European political party in Hungary. It was founded on 7 October, 1989 as a post-communist evolution a ...

) * Tibor Navracsics (born 1966), politician,

European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth The European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth is a member of the European Commission. The portfolio was previously titled ''European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport'' until 2019 when it was ...

(2014–present) *

Leopold Óváry Leopoldo Óváry (born Óváry Lipót) (31 December 1833, Veszprém - 4 April 1919, Budapest) was a Hungarian historian and custodian of the Hungarian state archives. He took part in the Hungarian struggle for liberty in 1848 and in the Italian ...

(1833–1919), historian and archivist *

Csaba Vastag Csaba Vastag (born 11 February 1982 in Budapest) is a Hungarian musician, who won the first ever series of the Hungarian ''X-Faktor'' in 2010.

(born 1982), singer *

Tamás Vastag Tamás Vastag (born 28 June 1991, Veszprém) is a Hungarian Music Awards-winning Hungarian singer and actor. He is most well known for coming 5th on the first season of the Hungarian version of X-Factor. Personal life and career Tamás Vastag ...

(born 1991), singer *

Ádám Lang Ádám Lang (born 17 January 1993) is a Hungarian professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Omonia and the Hungary national team. Club career Győr Born in Veszprém, Lang was signed in 2012 by Hungarian League club Győri ...

(born 1993), footballer

Twin towns – sister cities

Veszprém is twinned with: * Vernier, Switzerland * Bottrop, Germany *

Debeljača Debeljača ( sr-cyr, Дебељача, ; hu, Torontálvásárhely) is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Kovačica municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. Ethnic groups (2002 census) The village has a Hungarian e ...

, Serbia * Fresagrandinaria, Italy * Gladsaxe, Denmark * Haskovo, Bulgaria *

Jönköping Jönköping (, ) is a city in southern Sweden with 112,766 inhabitants (2022). Jönköping is situated on the southern shore of Sweden's second largest lake, Vättern, in the province of Småland. The city is the seat of Jönköping Municipali ...

, Sweden * Kuršėnai, Lithuania * Nitra, Slovakia *

Nový Jičín Nový Jičín (; german: Neutitschein) is a town in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. The historic centre of Nový Jičín is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservatio ...

, Czech Republic * Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium *

Passau Passau (; bar, label=Central Bavarian, Båssa) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany, also known as the Dreiflüssestadt ("City of Three Rivers") as the river Danube is joined by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. Passau's popu ...

, Germany *

Pescara Pescara (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Pescàrë; nap, label= Pescarese, Piscàrë) is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 119,217 (2018) residents (and approxim ...

, Italy * Püttlingen, Germany *

Rovaniemi Rovaniemi ( , ; sme, Roavvenjárga ; smn, Ruávinjargâ; sms, Ruäʹvnjargg) is a city and municipality of Finland. It is the administrative capital and commercial centre of Finland's northernmost province, Lapland, and its southern part Per� ...

, Finland *

Senftenberg Senftenberg ( wen, Zły Komorow) is a town in Lower Lusatia, Brandenburg, Germany, capital of the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district. Geography Senftenberg is located in the southwest of the historic Lower Lusatia region at the border with Saxony. It ...

, Germany *

Sfântu Gheorghe Sfântu Gheorghe (; hu, Sepsiszentgyörgy or ''Szentgyörgy'' ; yi, סנט דזשארדזש; English lit.: ''Saint George'') is the capital city of Covasna County, Romania. Located in the central part of the country and in the historical regio ...

, Romania * Šibenik, Croatia *

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after the Northern European country's political and financial capital, Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 91,407 (as of 2021). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of ...

, Estonia *

Tirat Carmel Tirat Carmel ( he, טִירַת כַּרְמֶל), or ''Tirat HaCarmel'', is a city in the Haifa District in Israel. In it had a population of . Throughout the ages, the site of the modern city was controlled by many people, including the Roma ...

, Israel * Žamberk, Czech Republic * Herceg Novi, Montenegro Veszprém also had connections with

Halle Halle may refer to: Places Germany * Halle (Saale), also called Halle an der Saale, a city in Saxony-Anhalt ** Halle (region), a former administrative region in Saxony-Anhalt ** Bezirk Halle, a former administrative division of East Germany ** Hall ...

and Nowa Sól in the past, but these relations were eliminated.

Tourism

* Kittenberger Kálmán Zoo & Botanical Garden

Gallery

Egyem. lakóház (10654. számú műemlék).jpg, View of the city Tüztorony (10689. számú műemlék) 7.jpg, Fire-watch tower Szentháromság-szobor (10685. számú műemlék) 3.jpg, Holy Trinity Column Veszprém panorama.jpg, View from the Castle Hill Székesegyház (10682. számú műemlék) 6.jpg,

St. Michael's Cathedral, Veszprém St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica, ( hu, Szent Mihály székesegyház) also called Veszprém Cathedral, is a religious building of the Catholic Church that serves as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Veszprém and is located in the city of Veszp ...

Veszprem varabenedekhegyrol.jpg, Castle Hill Veszprem Ersekipalota2.jpg, Episcopal Palace Veszprem Varoshaza1.jpg, City hall Veszprem Megyehaza.jpg, County hall Veszprem varkapu.jpg, Castle gate Veszprem Szentharomsagter dny.jpg, Holy Trinity Square Veszprem nagyprepostipalota.jpg, Nagypréposti Palace Veszprem-County-Library-Hungary.jpg, Library of Veszprém Veszprem Sed2.jpg, Séd Stream Veszprem Gizellakapolna.jpg, Gisela Capel Székesegyház (10682. számú műemlék).jpg, The Holy Trinity Square behind St. Michael's Cathedral, Veszprém in the Castle Hill Bone of Giselle of Bavaria.jpg, Bone of Queen Gisela kept in a church in Veszprém Szt. István és Gizella Veszprém.JPG, Statue of King Stephen I and Queen Gisela

References

;Notes