Veszprém facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Veszprém
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
City with county rights
|
|||
   _6.jpg)  From top, left to right: Castle Hill, County Library, Statue of King Stephen I and Queen Gisela, Fire-watch Tower, Veszprém Cathedral and Castle Gate
|
|||
|
|||
| Nickname(s):
City of Queens
|
|||
 Veszprém
Location in Veszprém County
Veszprém
Location in Hungary
|
|||
| Country |  Hungary |
||
| Region | Central Transdanubia | ||
| County | Veszprém | ||
| District | Veszprém | ||
| Established | 9th century AD | ||
| City status | 1870 | ||
| Named for | Bezprym of Poland | ||
| Area | |||
| • City with county rights | 126.93 km2 (49.01 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 266 m (873 ft) | ||
| Population
(January 1, 2017)
|
|||
| • City with county rights | 56,927 | ||
| • Rank | 16th | ||
| • Density | 448.49/km2 (1,161.6/sq mi) | ||
| • Urban | 133,880 (13th) | ||
| Demonym(s) | veszprémi | ||
| Population by ethnicity | |||
| • Hungarians | 83.9% | ||
| • Germans | 2.4% | ||
| • Gypsies | 0.7% | ||
| • Romanians | 0.1% | ||
| • Serbs | 0.1% | ||
| • Slovaks | 0.1% | ||
| • Armenians | 0.1% | ||
| • Bulgarians | 0.1% | ||
| • Polish | 0.1% | ||
| • Ukrainians | 0.1% | ||
| Population by religion | |||
| • Roman Catholic | 38.9% | ||
| • Greek Catholic | 0.3% | ||
| • Calvinists | 7.0% | ||
| • Lutherans | 2.1% | ||
| • Other | 1.4% | ||
| • Non-religious | 20.6% | ||
| • Unknown | 29.6% | ||
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) | ||
| Postal code |
8200
|
||
| Area code | (+36) 88 | ||
| Airport | Veszprém | ||
| MP | Péter Ovádi (Fidesz) | ||
Veszprém (pronounced 'Vess-prehm') is one of the oldest cities in Hungary. It's a special city that has 'county rights,' which means it's a big, important center. You can find it about 15 kilometers (9 miles) north of the beautiful Lake Balaton. It's also the main city for the Veszprém county.
Contents
What's in a Name?
The name Veszprém comes from an old West Slavic personal name, Bezprem. This name means "stubborn" or "self-confident." Over time, the spelling changed from Besprem (before 1002) to Vezprem (1086), and then to Veszprém.
Where is Veszprém?
Veszprém is easy to reach by car using the M7 highway and Road 8. You can also get there from Győr and Székesfehérvár.
The Seven Hills of Veszprém
According to a local legend, Veszprém was built on seven hills. These hills are:
- Várhegy (Castle Hill)
- Benedek-hegy (St. Benedict Hill)
- Jeruzsálem-hegy (Jerusalem Hill)
- Temetőhegy (Cemetery Hill)
- Gulyadomb (Herd Hill)
- Kálvária-domb (Calvary Hill)
- Cserhát
Veszprém's Past
An old writer named Anonymus wrote that a castle already stood in Veszprém when the Hungarians first arrived. This castle was probably a Frankish fortress from the 9th century. Veszprém, along with Esztergom and Székesfehérvár, had some of the first stone castles in Hungary. These were built when most castles were still made of wood and earth.
A City of Queens
Veszprém played a very important part when Christianity became the main religion in the medieval Kingdom of Hungary. Stephen I, who became the first King of Hungary, defeated his opponent Koppány near Veszprém.
In 1009, Veszprém became the first place in Hungary to have a bishop, which is a high-ranking church leader. This made it a very important religious center.
Veszprém was the favorite city of Queen Gisela, who was the wife of King Stephen I. For many centuries, the queens of Hungary were crowned by the bishop of Veszprém. This is why the city is still often called "the city of queens."
Early University Life
Veszprém was one of the first Hungarian cities to have a university. Students came here for hundreds of years to study law and arts. Sadly, the university was destroyed by a fire in 1276. Veszprém became a university town again much later, in the 20th century.
Wars and Changes
In 1552, the city was attacked by the Ottoman Turks. They plundered Veszprém, but they couldn't hold onto it for long. The castle was later torn down in 1706.
For a long time, until 1918, Veszprém was part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. During World War II, Soviet troops took control of the city on March 23, 1945.
Veszprém's Economy
Veszprém is home to many different companies. Some Hungarian companies have their main offices and factories here, making things like plastic car parts, kiosks, shutters, and furniture.
Many international companies also have production plants in Veszprém. These include:
- A French company that makes medicines.
- Austrian companies that make plaster and tiles.
- A Swiss company that makes electric motors.
- German companies that make car parts and sensors.
- A British-Dutch company that makes food.
The city also has several large logistics centers, which are places where goods are stored and moved. The Veszprém Aréna is a big building used for sports, exhibitions, and conferences.
People of Veszprém
Most people in Veszprém are Hungarians. There is also a smaller group of Germans and Roma people living in the city.
When it comes to religion, most citizens are Roman Catholic. There are also many Calvinists and Lutherans. Some people do not follow any religion.
Getting Around Veszprém
.jpg)
Veszprém has a bus system for public transportation. The city-funded company, V-Busz, runs 30 bus lines, including night buses. The buses are easy to spot because they are purple. You can buy tickets on the buses, from machines, or at bus stations. V-Busz took over the bus service in 2018 to improve it with newer buses.
_2.jpg)
Famous People from Veszprém
Many interesting people were born or lived in Veszprém, including:
- Péter Andorka (born 1984), a footballer
- Leopold Auer (1845–1930), a famous violinist and composer
- Marian Cozma (1982–2009), a handball player
- Tamás Kádár (born 1990), a footballer
- Attila Mesterházy (born 1974), a politician
- Tibor Navracsics (born 1966), a politician who worked for the European Union
- Leopold Óváry (1833–1919), a historian
- Csaba Vastag (born 1982), a singer
- Tamás Vastag (born 1991), a singer
- Ádám Lang (born 1993), a footballer
Partner Cities
Veszprém has 'twin towns' or 'sister cities' around the world. These cities work together to share culture and ideas. Veszprém is twinned with:
- Bottrop, Germany
- Debeljača, Serbia
- Gladsaxe, Denmark
- Most, Czech Republic
- Nitra, Slovakia
- Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Passau, Germany
- Rovaniemi, Finland
- Senftenberg, Germany
- Sfântu Gheorghe, Romania
- Tartu, Estonia
- Tirat Carmel, Israel
- Žamberk, Czech Republic
Things to See
- Kittenberger Kálmán Zoo & Botanical Garden - A great place to see animals and plants.
Images for kids
-
View of the city
-
Fire-watch tower
-
Holy Trinity Column
-
View from the Castle Hill
-
St. Michael's Cathedral, Veszprém
-
Castle Hill
-
Episcopal Palace
-
City hall
-
County hall
-
Castle gate
-
Holy Trinity Square
-
Nagypréposti Palace
-
Library of Veszprém
-
Séd Stream
-
Gisela Capel
-
The Holy Trinity Square behind St. Michael's Cathedral, Veszprém in the Castle Hill
-
Bone of Queen Gisela kept in a church in Veszprém
-
Statue of King Stephen I and Queen Gisela
.jpg)
_7.jpg)
_3.jpg)
.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Veszprém para niños
