Veszprém (; , , , ) is one of the oldest urban areas in
Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, 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 and ...
, and a city with county rights. It lies approximately north of the
Lake Balaton
Lake Balaton () is a freshwater rift lake in the Transdanubian region of Hungary. It is the List of largest lakes of Europe, largest lake in Central Europe, and one of the region's foremost tourist destinations. The Zala River provides the larges ...
. It is the administrative center of the
county
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
of the same name.
Etymology
The city's name derives from the
West Slavic-language personal name
A personal name, full name or prosoponym (from Ancient Greek ''prósōpon'' – person, and ''onoma'' –name) is the set of names by which an individual person or animal is known. When taken together as a word-group, they all relate to that on ...
''Bezprem'' or ''
Bezprym'' (
Proto-Slavic
Proto-Slavic (abbreviated PSl., PS.; also called Common Slavic or Common Slavonic) is the unattested, reconstructed proto-language of all Slavic languages. It represents Slavic speech approximately from the 2nd millennium BC through the 6th ...
''Bezprěmъ'') which translates literally to "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 the
Greek language
Greek (, ; , ) is an Indo-European languages, Indo-European language, constituting an independent Hellenic languages, Hellenic branch within the Indo-European language family. It is native to Greece, Cyprus, Italy (in Calabria and Salento), south ...
.
Location and legend
The city can be reached via the M7 highway and Road 8. It can also be reached from
Győr
Győr ( , ; ; names of European cities in different languages: E-H#G, names in other languages) is the main city of northwest Hungary, the capital of Győr-Moson-Sopron County and Western Transdanubia, Western Transdanubia region, and – halfwa ...
via Road 82 and from
Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár (; ; ; ; Serbian language, Serbian: ''Стони Београд''; ), known colloquially as Fehérvár (), is a city in central Hungary, and the country's ninth-largest city. It is the Regions of Hungary, regional capital of C ...
via Road 8. According to a
local 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'' (the anonymous notary of
King
King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
Béla III) wrote that a castle already stood here when the
Hungarians
Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...
first occupied the area. The castle was probably a 9th-century
Frankish fortress. The castles of Veszprém,
Esztergom
Esztergom (; ; or ; , known by Names of European cities in different languages: E–H#E, alternative names) is a city with county rights in northern Hungary, northwest of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom County, on the righ ...
and
Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár (; ; ; ; Serbian language, Serbian: ''Стони Београд''; ), known colloquially as Fehérvár (), is a city in central Hungary, and the country's ninth-largest city. It is the Regions of Hungary, regional capital of C ...
, 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, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
the official religion of the
medieval Kingdom of Hungary—
Stephen I,
Grand Prince of the Hungarians, was crowned
King
King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
in 1000 or 1001, and defeated the armies of his chief opponent,
Koppány, 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 Stephen I. For centuries, the queens of Hungary were crowned by the
bishop of Veszprém. 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 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 invaded and devastated the
Diocese of Veszprém. Veszprém became a university town again in the 20th century.
The town was taken over by the
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks () were a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group in Anatolia. Originally from Central Asia, they migrated to Anatolia in the 13th century and founded the Ottoman Empire, in which they remained socio-politically dominant for the e ...
during the
Hungarian–Ottoman Wars in 1552, but was lost to the Habsburgs in 1566. The Ottomans once again successfully
besieged the town in 1593 during the
Long Turkish War. 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, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ( composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it ...
/Austria-Hungary, Kingdom of Hungary; in
Transleithania after the
compromise of 1867 in the
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...
. Between 16 August and 4 October 1919, Romanian troops occupied the city under colonel Constantin Neagu and major Alexander Totescu.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Veszprém was captured by
Soviet troops of the
3rd Ukrainian Front 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, 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 Next 20 Index). It supplies a wide range of products to automakers and the aftermarket. The Group employs 113,600 people in 29 countri ...
, the German electromagnetical controlsystems manufacturer ''nass magnet'', the German automotive spare parts manufacturer
Continental AG, the German automotive spare parts manufacturer ''Thun'', the German sensor manufacturer
Pepperl+Fuchs, 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, the British-Dutch food producer
Unilever
Unilever PLC () is a British multinational consumer packaged goods company headquartered in London, England. It was founded on 2 September 1929 following the merger of Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie with British soap maker Lever B ...
and the Hungarian dairy product manufacturer ''Pannontej'' operate production plants in the city.
The Dutch
General Logistics Systems, the Hungarian
Magyar Posta, the German
Penny Market, the Hungarian ''Locargo'' and the Austrian ''Persped'' have logistics centres there.
The Hungarian owned ''Vöröskő'' electrical retailer (holder of the brand
Euronics 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 minority numbering 2.4% of the population. The second largest ethnic group is the
Roma with 0.7%. The others are all marginal.
[KSH - Veszprém, 2011](_blank)
/ref>
The religious affiliation of the citizens has a Catholic majority with 38.9% Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
and 0.3% Greek Catholic Greek Catholic Church or Byzantine-Catholic Church may refer to:
* The Catholic Church in Greece
* The Eastern Catholic Churches
The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Ea ...
. The Calvinists (7.0%) have the second, the Lutherans
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...
(2.1%) the third largest denomination in the city. 20.6% are not religious.
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 (born in 1984), footballer
* Leopold Auer (1845–1930), violinist, academic, conductor and composer
* Tamás Kádár (born 1990), footballer
*Attila Mesterházy
Attila Mesterházy (born 30 January 1974) is a Hungarian politician, who served as the seventh chairman of the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) from 10 July 2010 to 29 May 2014. He was a Member of Parliament between 2004 and 2022. He was the par ...
(born 1974), politician ( MSZP)
* Tibor Navracsics (born 1966), politician, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth (2014–present)
* Leopold Óváry (1833–1919), historian and archivist
* Csaba Vastag (born 1982), singer
* Tamás Vastag (born 1991), singer
* Ádám Lang (born 1993), footballer
Twin towns – sister cities
Veszprém is twinned with:
* Bottrop
Bottrop () is a city in west-central Germany, on the Rhine–Herne Canal, in North Rhine-Westphalia. Located in the Ruhr area, Ruhr industrial area, Bottrop adjoins Essen, Oberhausen, Gladbeck, and Dorsten. The city had been a coal-mining and ...
, Germany
* Debeljača, Serbia
* Gladsaxe, Denmark
* Most, Czech Republic
* Nitra, Slovakia
* Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
* Passau
Passau (; ) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as the ("City of Three Rivers"), as the river Danube is joined by the Inn (river), Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north.
Passau's population is about 50,000, of whom ...
, Germany
* Rovaniemi
Rovaniemi ( , ; ; ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Lapland (Finland), Lapland. It is located near the Arctic Circle in the northern interior of the country. The population of Rovaniemi is approximately , while the Rovaniemi su ...
, Finland
* Senftenberg, Germany
* Sfântu Gheorghe, Romania
* Tartu
Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...
, Estonia
* Tirat Carmel, Israel
* Žamberk
Žamberk (; ) is a town in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,800 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zon ...
, Czech Republic
* Płock
Płock (pronounced ), officially the Ducal Capital City of Płock, is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river, in the Masovian Voivodeship. According to the data provided by Central Statistical Office (Poland), GUS on 31 December 2021, the ...
, Poland
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
Veszprem varabenedekhegyrol.jpg, Castle Hill
Veszprem Ersekipalota2.jpg, Episcopal Palace
Veszprem Varoshaza1.jpg, City hall
Veszprem Megyehaza.jpg, Veszprém 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
External links
Official site
*
English pages
on official site
Pannon University
(formerly University of Veszprém)
Aerial photography: Veszprém
What to do in Veszprém – Much more than handball
Veszprém at funiq.hu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Veszprem
Populated places in Veszprém County
County seats in Hungary
Cities with county rights of Hungary
Hungarian German communities
Populated places established in the 9th century