Veszprém

 

Veszprém with 59,000 inhabitants lies in the central Transdanubian region, at the meeting-point of the Bakony Hills and the Balaton Uplands. The history of the city goes back to the Hungarian settlement of the country in the ninth century, when Veszprém belonged to the estate of the ruling family; it became the City of Queens thanks to Giselle, the consort of Hungary’s first king, St. Stephen and in 1001 it grew to be one of the most significant centre of the Catholic Church as the bishop’s seat. Historic documents mention St. Michael’s Cathedral, situated in the castle surrounded by wonderfully preserved baroque buildings, as the first and oldest cathedral in the country.

The Catholic Church has remained a vital force in the life of Veszprém as our city has been an archbishopric since 1993. Outstanding sights include the Archiepiscopal Palace, the Giselle chapel, the Queen Giselle Museum and St. George chapel. In the galleries and exhibition halls of the House of Arts, for example in the Modern Art Gallery - László Vass Collection the works of contemporary artists are exhibited.

The permanent exhibition from Károly László´s collection is opening in the renovated Dubniczay House in autumn of 2006. At the same place the Brick Collection of the Hungarian.

Construction Industry Museum, as well as the Exhibition of minerals await visitors in this wonderfully restored environment. In the Dezső Laczkó Museum interactive exhibitions of local history are presented. In the past the building housed the first public library in Hungary. The neighboring House of Bakony was one of the first open-air ethnographic museums in Hungary.

 

Veszprém is known for a vivid cultural life throughout the year. Three theatres and a whole series of festivals provide entertainment to inhabitants and visitors alike all year round. Besides the cultural events and the historic sights you can find here the Kittenberger Kálmán Botanical Garden and Zoo Park of well-deserved European fame. Discover the City of Queens, the ever-renewing Veszprém, always striving to preserve and enhance its beauty! Veszprém was the City of the Year of 2005.