"Veszprem" Top 5 Page for this destination Veszprem by leffe3

Veszprem Travel Guide: 67 reviews and 215 photos

A visit to a friend in Budapest over Easter resulted in the unexpected overnight trip to Veszprem to see her parents. And what a visit in turned out to be. To be honest, I had never heard of the place and didn't know what to expect. We arrived at night for dinner and had an incredibly hilarious evening - Andrea's father spoke no English - only Hungarian (which I certainly didn't speak) and some German. So, around the dinner table, helped by copious amounts of schnapps, an incredible series of conversations were had in a mix of Hungarian, English and German (and strangely, we understood each other better as the evening progressed and more schnapps was drunk :)). So I certainly have very fond memories (what I can remember of it) of the town (helped in the morning by being served coffee and small amount of that schnapps as a hair of the dog!).

But Veszprem. It would never have been on my list of places visited without Andrea. And what a beautiful town it is.

Spread over 5 hills with a walled castle district sitting atop a plateau. It's like walking through a living museum (but freezing though - the local legend is that it's 'either the wind is blowing or the bells are ringing' - that day the wind was certainly blowing, occasionally bringing bursts of snow).

Not settled until the 10th century, a bishopric was founded and it developed as an eductional and religious centre, with a university established in the 13th century. The castle and all its medieval buildings were destroyed either by the Habsburgs in 1702 or the Rákoczi independence war shortly after. But instead of going into decline, the Golden Age of Vezsprem kicked in. So that's what we see today - more so as the hold of the church was such that they prevented the main railway line coming through the town in the 19th century.

It's a small centre, but all the more interesting for it - you do not get an overkill of visual bombardment.

Last visit to Veszprem: May 2001
Intro Updated May 9, 2007
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Reviews (4)

Tihany Off The Beaten Path (1)

30 kms south west of Vészprem is Tihany on the shores of Lake Balaton. Found on the tip of a small headland jutting into... more travel advice

Town Square Looking North West - Veszprem

Town Square Looking North West Things to Do (3)

The first view you get of the town square walking up from Heroes' gate is that of the two opposite towers of the... more travel advice

Bishop's Palace (Püspöki palota) - Veszprem

Bishop's Palace (Püspöki palota) Things to Do (3)

Sitting proudly on the right hand side of the Town Square (as you come from the entrance of Castle Hill) is the Bishop's... more travel advice

Szentháromsag tér (Town Square) - Veszprem

Szentháromsag tér (Town Square) Things to Do (3)

At the centre of Castle Hill is the wonderful, yet slightly understated, town square. Having already wondered up from... more travel advice

Comments (2)

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blint Mar 28, 2008 at 7:23 PM

interesting place. I especially like your photos and the lighting in a lot of them ;)
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1courage Aug 10, 2007 at 1:03 PM

I`m happy that you liked Veszprém like I do. Btw. the Archbishop`s palace can be visited. I did 2 weeks ago. Beautiful! A good reason 4 U to return>;-)