Veszprém
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What is Veszprém county?
Veszprém is a county in western Hungary that stretches north from Lake Balaton. It is bordered by several other counties and Lake Balaton. Veszprém city is the county seat, and other important towns include Pápa, Ajka, and Tapolca.
The county consists largely of the forested Bakony Mountains and parts of Mezoföld flatlands. The elevated areas are relatively rich in rainfall, and the southern parts get a lot of autumn sunshine, creating conditions suited for wine production.
Veszprém is one of Hungary’s most historic counties, dating back to the Árpád era. Veszprém city was home to Queen Gizella, the wife of Stephen I, and the castle there was the seat of Hungarian queens in the 10th century.
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Where is Veszprém county located in Hungary?
Veszprém megye (county) is in western Hungary, north of Lake Balaton. It shares borders with Győr-Moson-Sopron county to the north, Komárom-Esztergom county to the northeast, and Fejér county to the east. Lake Balaton and Somogy county are to the south, while Zala county is to the southwest, and Vas county to the west. The county seat is in Veszprém, and other important towns include Pápa, Ajka, Várpalota, and Tapolca.
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What is the county seat (main city) of Veszprém county?
The county seat of Veszprém county in western Hungary is the city of Veszprém. Veszprém is a city with county status and is located along the Séd River in the Bakony Mountains, southwest of Budapest. The city has a rich history, with a cathedral and castle dating back to the 9th century. It is built on five hills and has many historical and architectural monuments, including ancient houses, the Cathedral of St. Michael, and the Baroque bishop’s palace.
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What are some important physical features of Veszprém county?
Veszprém county, in western Hungary, is characterized by diverse physical features. The forested Bakony Mountains dominate much of the area and are divided into the Northern and Southern Bakony ranges by valleys. Karst formations and loess basins mark the inner Northern Bakony Mountains, while the Tapolca basin transitions into the highlands around Lake Balaton to the south. In the county's southwest, the Keszthely Mountains rise.
The region's soil and geographic conditions are not ideal for agriculture. The Bakony highlands receive ample rainfall, and the southern hills benefit from Mediterranean climatic influences, creating suitable conditions for wine production. The Bakony Mountains contain bauxite, pitch coal, lignite, and basalt, while limestone and water are other key natural resources from the karst regions.
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What are the main industries or economic activities in Veszprém county?
Veszprém county's economy relies on industry and tourism. Until the 1980s, it was one of Hungary's most industrialized counties, with developed mining, chemical industry, aluminum foundry, porcelain manufacturing in Herend, and crystal manufacturing in Ajka.
Since 1989, the economy has become more reliant on tourism, especially around Lake Balaton in Veszprém, Balatonfüred, and Balatonalmádi. The city of Veszprém's industrial sector includes automotive, mechanical engineering, electronics, food-processing, construction, and information technology industries. Wine production also occurs at Badacsony, Szent György Mountain, Somló, and the north shore of Lake Balaton.
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What cultural or historical sites can be found in Veszprém county?
Veszprém county is one of Hungary’s most historic counties, dating back to the Árpád era. Veszprém city was home to Queen Gizella, wife of Stephen I, and its castle served as the seat of Hungarian queens in the 10th century. The city itself is built on five hills and contains many historical and architectural monuments: ancient houses, the Cathedral of St. Michael, the Gizella Chapel, the Baroque bishop’s palace (1765–76), the Franciscan cloister (1770–76), and the fortress with its Heroes’ Gate.
Other historical sites include the 12th-century abbey in Zirc and the ruins of Kinizsi Castle in Nagyvázsony. The Balatonfelvideki National Park is on the Tihany Peninsula.
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Veszprém, megye (county), western Hungary, extending north from Lake Balaton. It is bordered by the counties of Györ-Moson-Sopron to the north, Komárom-Esztergom to the northeast, and Fejér to the east, as well as by Lake Balaton and Somogy county to the south and the counties of Zala to the southwest and Vas to the west. Veszprém city is the county seat.
Other important towns include Pápa, Ajka, Várpalota, Tapolca, Balatonfüred, and Balatonalmádi. The county is populated mainly by Hungarians, with significant ethnic German, Slovak, and Roma (Gypsy) communities.
Veszprém county consists largely of the forested Bakony Mountains and parts of Mezoföld flatlands. The Bakony Mountains are fragmented by several valleys and divide into the Southern Bakony and the Northern Bakony Mountains. The inner areas of the Northern Bakony Mountains are breached by loess basins and steep stream valleys with rich karst formations. Tapolca basin lies at the centre of the county and to the south gives way to the highlands around Lake Balaton. The Keszthely Mountains rise in the southwestern part of the county.
Soil and geographic conditions in Veszprém county do not favour agriculture. The elevated areas of the Bakony are relatively rich in rainfall, while the southern parts of the mountains and hills—because of Mediterranean climatic influences—see a lot of autumn sunshine. Conditions are well suited for wine production, which takes place at Badacsony, Szent Görgy Mountain, Somló, and the north shore of Lake Balaton. Mineral resources found in the Bakony Mountains include bauxite, pitch coal, lignite, and basalt. Limestone and water from the karst regions are also important natural resources. The once-abundant karst springs in the Bakony Mountains were diminished by the large amounts of water brought to the surface by bauxite mining.
Veszprém was one of the most-industrialized counties of Hungary until the 1980s, owing to its developed mining, chemical industry, and aluminum foundry, as well as the famed manufacturing of porcelain in Herend and crystal in Ajka. In the aftermath of the political changes in 1989, the county’s economy became more reliant on the tourism industry centred on Lake Balaton, especially at Veszprém, Balatonfüred, and Balatonalmádi. Veszprém’s industrial legacy put it at the centre of the news in October 2010, however, when a reservoir at an aluminum-manufacturing plant in Ajka burst, sending a torrent of hazardous chemical waste rushing through the countryside, taking the lives of four people, injuring dozens of others, and resulting in what Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called an “ecological tragedy.”
Veszprém is one of Hungary’s most historic counties, dating, as an entity, from the Árpád era. Veszprém city was home to Queen Gizella, the wife of Stephen I, and the castle there was the seat of Hungarian queens in the 10th century. At Zirc, high in the Cuha valley, is a 12th-century abbey, and in Nagyvázsony are the ruins of the legendary Kinizsi Castle. Balatonfelvideki National Park is located on the Tihany Peninsula. Area 1,781 square miles (4,613 square km). Pop. (2011) 353,068; (2017 est.) 342,501.