Veszprem is a majestic city. Ancient cobblestones echo the footsteps of royal figures and legends surround us wherever we go.

According to our ancestors, Veszprém was built on seven hills and archaeological finds also prove that this area was inhabited thousands of years ago. The legend passed on through generations, which is dearest to our hearts claims that the city was a favourite for the Hungarian Ruler Géza and his son, who became the country’s first King István (Stephen) I. as well as his wife Gizella, and the city had its heydays around the year 1000, during the reign of the first royal couple. They had established the bishopric, supported the building of St Michael’s Cathedral and the Veszprém Valley Nunnery, where the robe used for crowning ceremonies is said to have been woven. Gizella donated the embroidered robe to the church of the city which had made it the “city of queens” in the interpretation of future ages. The right of the Veszprém bishops to crown the queens from 1216 onwards was also confirmed by a law.

Veszprém Castle is the home of ecclesiastical treasures as well as modern arts. Stepping through the Castle Gate we face churches towering above, while in the buildings that once belonged to local craftsmen and in the shadow of the Fire Lookout Tower in the courtyards we find contemporary art galleries and their exhibitions.

The St Michael’s Basilica in Szentháromság (Holy Trinity), the Archbishop’s Palace and the adjacent Gizella Chapel are magnificent buildings. The St George Chapel, the Beatified Gizella Archdiocese Collection, the St Emeric Piarist and Garrison Church and the Salesianum – Archbishopric’s Tourist Centre all keep historical and ecclesiastical treasures.

We get a magnificent view of the Benedek Hill, the Viaduct and the Séd Valley from the top end of the Castle. 

In the Baroque buildings of the refurbished Castle, amongst its historic walls we can enjoy the masterpieces of contemporary Hungarian and international artists. The Modern Art Gallery – Vass László Collection is the most significant collection of constructivist artists in Hungary. The Csikász Gallery houses temporary exhibitions while the Dubniczay Palace provides a worthy home to the László Károly Collection and the Brick Museum of the Museum of Hungarian Construction Industry. 

On the Heroes’ Gate, opened in 1939 and renovated in 2013, visitors learn about the history of the building and heroes end events of Veszprém during the revolution and freedom fight of 1848 and 1849, World Wars I and II, and revolution and freedom fight of 1956.

The atmosphere of the thousand-year-old city invites visitors for cosy walks. Do not resist the temptation...   

Further information: www.veszprem.hu