Veszprém
Veszprém lies in the central Transdanubian region, at the crossroads
of the Bakony Hills and the Balaton Uplands. The town dates back to the
age of the migrations of the 8th century. Following the Avars and the
Slavs, the conquering Hungarians settled down in Veszprém, which had
probably been known as a stronghold by then. The name of the settlement
evolved from a Slavonic name, but researchers have not been able to find
out whether it was named after one of the troop leaders of the Moravian
Empire or after the Polish nephew of King St Stephen.
The first prosperous period of the town occurred in the Árpád period
(900-1301), when it was first the Prince’s then the King’s seat. The
Episcopal seat – the first in the country – was founded the first king,
St Stephen. St Michael’s Cathedral, was erected by Queen Blessed
Gizella, the Bavarian wife of the state founding king. Following the
current Hungarian Queen became the patroness of the cathedral, and the
Queen’s Palace was built on seven hills – districts – as an
ecclesiastical centre from the beginning. The Bishop of Veszprém used to
crown the Hungarian queens and, from the early 14th century, he was the
Lord Lieutenant of the country, too. Veszprém housed the first Hungarian
college where, apart from the seven liberal arts, law was taught as well.
The first break in Veszprém’s development dates back to 1276 when the
troops of the landlord Péter Csák caused huge destruction in the county
seat, the college was ruined, the cathedral and the castle had been
burnt down. After the period of the Árpád dynasty, the queen’s town
became a country Episcopal seat. The most outstanding bishop of Veszprém
in the Renaissance period, Albert Vetési, consciously developed the town.
However, due to the ravages of the Turks, nothing remained of his
construction activities. From 1552-1683, in the period of the Turkish
occupation, Veszprém became a border fortress. During this period the
ownership of the castle changed ten times and the town was almost
completely destroyed. The bishops returning from Sümeg after the fights
started the rebuild the town.
The Baroque, Copf and Neo-Classical buildings determining the
atmosphere of the town date back to this period. For three centuries the
Catholic Church ruled the everyday life of the settlement.
Veszprém’s development was given a new start in the late 19th century
with the leadership of Ferenc Óvári. The settlement structure of the
town changed, new buildings were erected, industrial development started
and civil associations and circles were established. After the sparkling
and promising civil development, in the middle pf the 20th century, due
to the socialist town development policy, the quarter of ten housing
estates surrounding the former historic centre was built, a new,
socialist-realist town centre emerged, the most visible symbol of which
is the area of Kossuth Street and the “monumental” twenty-storey block
erected in the place of the old burghers’ houses. The University of
Veszprém founded in 1949 has become an institution with 5 faculties by
now.
As the town is definitely not an industrial centre, following the
change of the regime (1990) the country seat looked for opportunities in
the cultural and intellectual sphere: apart from its two universities
there are more than 10.000 pupils in its ten secondary schools. There
are three theatres and the music culture of the town are known
nation-wide and its visual artists and men of letters have attained
international fame. The town is also acknowledged for its sports
achievements: besides the Olympic champion in hammer throwing, Balázs
Kiss, the handball team, Fotex Veszprém is recognised as one of the
elite teams of the world.
The friendly, small-town atmosphere of the one thousand-year-old
Veszprém is still alive today and the old historic centre, which seems
to have revived recently, awaits tourists longing for a historic
atmosphere and quiet, intimate walks. |
