Veszprém
| Veszprém | ||
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| City | ||
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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
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| Nickname(s): City of Queens | ||
 Veszprém
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| Coordinates: 47°05′35″N 17°54′50″E / 47.09296°N 17.91377°ECoordinates: 47°05′35″N 17°54′50″E / 47.09296°N 17.91377°E | ||
| Country |
 Hungary
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| County | Veszprém | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 126.93 km2 (49.01 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 266 m (873 ft) | |
| Population (2011) | ||
| • Total | 60,788 | |
| • Rank | 16th | |
| • Density | 480/km2 (1,200/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| Postal code | 8200 | |
| Area code(s) | 88 | |
| Website | www |
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Veszprém (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈvɛspreːm]; German: Weißbrunn, Slovene: Belomost) is one of the oldest urban areas in Hungary, and a city with county rights. It lies approximately 15 km (9 mi) north of the Lake Balaton. It is the administrative center of the county (comitatus or 'megye') of the same name.
The name of the city originates from a Slavic personal name Bezprem (Proto-Slavic Bezprěmъ) meaning "stubborn", "self-confident, not willing to retreat".Besprem (before 1002), Vezprem (1086), Bezpremensis (1109). The form Vezprem originates in early medieval scribal habits and frequent exchange of B and V under the influence of Greek.
The city was named either after a chieftain, or the son of Princess Judith (elder sister of St. Stephen of Hungary), who settled here after her husband Boleslaus I of Poland expelled her and her son.
Veszprém lies on both sides of the Séd creek, approximately 110 km (68 mi) from Budapest (via the M7 highway and Road 8). It can also be reached from Győr via Road 82 and from Székesfehérvár via Road 8.
According to legend, Veszprém was founded on seven hills. The seven hills are Várhegy (Castle Hill), Benedek-hegy (St. Benedict Hill), Jeruzsálem-hegy (Jerusalem Hill), Temetőhegy (Cemetery Hill), Gulyadomb (Herd Hill), Kálvária-domb (Calvary Hill), and Cserhát.
Anonymus Belæ Regis Notarius (the anonymous notary of King Béla III) wrote that a castle already stood here when the Hungarians first occupied the area. The castle was probably a 9th-century Frankish fortress. The castles of Veszprém, Esztergom and Székesfehérvár, were the earliest Hungarian stone castles, which had already been built during the reign of High Prince Géza, a time when motte castles were much more common.
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Wikipedia