Veszprem

Veszprem is built on and around a narrow limestone ridge with valleys on both sides, and the old town runs along the top of it as a single street of Baroque houses ending at a viewing terrace with statues of Stephen and Gizella looking out over the Sed valley. The bishops of Veszprem held the right to crown the queens of Hungary, which is why the city calls itself the city of queens, and the cathedral, the Gizella chapel with its thirteenth-century frescoes and the fire tower stand along the same ridge. The city was a European Capital of Culture in 2023 with the Balaton region, which paid for restoration and new venues. Below the ridge the valleys hold a zoo and a viaduct.

History

The name comes from the Slavic personal name Bezprem, "stubborn", and the chronicler Anonymus wrote that a castle already stood here when the Hungarians arrived, probably a 9th-century Frankish fortress; its stone castle was among the first in Hungary, built under Grand Prince Géza. Stephen I defeated his rival Koppány near Veszprém, the city became the first episcopal seat of Hungary, and as Queen Gisela's favourite city its bishops for centuries crowned the queens of Hungary; its early university was gutted by fire in 1276, the Ottomans took the town in 1552 and again in 1593, and the castle was pulled down in 1706 (Wikipedia, Veszprém).

What's there

• The castle ridge street - Baroque houses along a single spine of rock.
• The Gizella chapel frescoes - thirteenth-century painting under the cathedral quarter.
• The fire tower - the climb to the view over both valleys.
• The terrace statues - Stephen and Gizella above the Sed valley.

When to go

April to October. Half a day. The fire tower has limited hours. Museums close on Mondays. Summer festivals fill the castle street.

Good to know

The castle quarter is one street and walked in half an hour. The modern city around it is plain. Parking on the ridge is very limited. The Gizella chapel has short opening hours.

Nearby

Balatonfured is south; Zirc lies north.

Key facts