The "town of queens" lies on the southeastern foothills of the Bakony Forest, about 15km (9mi.) distant from the northeast bank of Lake Balaton. The main sight in Veszprém (Veszprim) is visible from afar, the old diocesan town on the narrow rocky spur of the castle hill, which is one of the most
beautiful collections of buildings in Hungary. Its proximity to Lake Balaton and the charming Bakony Forest are also favorable factors in its development into a popular tourist center. As regional capital and university town with famous scientific and cultural institutions it also fulfills educational and administrative functions.
History
Settlement at Veszprém dates back to the Bronze Age. The Romans did not settle here - probably on account of the exposed position - but later the Avars and Slavs occupied the land around Lake Balaton before the arrival of the Magyars. Christianity was spread from Salzburg and as early as the middle of the 9th C. Veszprém had a church dedicated to St Michael. In the 10th C, Veszprém was in the possession of the Arpads. Shortly after 1000 King Stephen I raised the town to the seat of a bishop and the church to a cathedral. The town owes its name to his nephew Besprem, whom he installed as administrator. The palace built by Stephen was primarily the residence of his wife Gisela and after her a succession of later queens who were crowned by the bishop of Veszprém (thus the epithet "town of queens").
During the Renaissance the town experienced its heyday, which was brought to an end by the Turkish wars. After the Habsburgs had reconquered the town they blew up the castle to crush the Independence struggle in Hungary. In the 18th C. the town was rebuilt in Hungarian Rococo-Baroque style. Veszprém was heavily damaged in the Second World War.
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