VESZPRéM

:''This article is about the city Veszprém, see also Veszprém (county).''
'Veszprém' (German: ''Weißbrunn'', Slovak: ''Vesprím'', Serbian: ''Vesprim'' or Весприм), one of the oldest towns in Hungary, is now a city with county rights and lies approximately 15 km north of Lake Balaton . It is the capital city of the administrative county (comitatus or 'megye') of the same name.

Contents

Location

History

Twin towns

Gallery

External links

Location

Veszprém lies on both sides of the creek Séd, approximately 110 km from Budapest (via the M7 motorway and Road 8). It can also be reached from Győr via Road 82, and from Székesfehérvár via Road 8.

History

According to local legend, Veszprém was founded on seven hills, like Rome. 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.
Anonymus, the notary of King Béla III wrote that a castle already stood here when the Hungarians first occupied the area. The castle was probably a 9th century Frankish fortress. The castles of Veszprém, Esztergom and Székesfehérvár, 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.
The name of the city originates from the Slavic word ''Bezprym'', which was originally a personal name. Ján Kollár derived its name from ''Ves Perunova - Perun's village'' and mentioned also a German derivation from ''Weiss-Brunn - white well''. The city was named either after a chieftain, or the son of Princess Judith (elder sister of St. Stephen), who settled here after her husband Boleslaus I of Poland expelled her and her son.
Veszprém had an important religious role during the fight to make Christianity the official religion of Hungary - St. Stephen 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 St. Stephen. For centuries, the queens of Hungary were crowned by the bishop of Veszprém. The city is still often called "the city of queens."
During the Mongol invasion of Hungary, Veszprém was protected by its castle, which was later demolished on order of the Habsburgs in 1706.
Veszprém was among the first Hungarian cities to have an university - students studied law and arts here. The university was destroyed by fire in 1276, after which Veszprém became a university town again in the 20th century.

Twin towns

Veszprém is twinned with:

★ Bottrop, Germany ★ Gladsaxe, Denmark ★ Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium ★ Passau, Germany ★ Rovaniemi, Finland

★ Sfântu Gheorghe, Romania ★ Tartu, Estonia ★ Tirat Carmel, Israel ★ Žamberk, Czechia

Gallery

External links

★ Official site

★ Tourinfo

★ Startpage link collection

★ Pannon University (formerly University of Veszprém)

★ Aerial photography: Veszprém