The Hungarian “City of Queens” then and now – PHOTOS

Veszprém, the county’s capital with the same name, is one of the most important cities in Transdanubia.

Its proximity to Lake Balaton and the good motorway connection to other parts of the country are only two aspects that make Veszprém an essential and popular city.

It is one of the oldest urban areas with one of the oldest standing castles in the country.

For this reason, the city was a significant place already a thousand years ago to the first Hungarian king, Stephen I. Moreover, Veszprém played a vital role in the life of his wife and Hungary’s first queen consort, Queen Gisela. It is thanks to her that Veszprém is called “the City of Queens” since their reign.

Find out a bit more about Veszprém and its history here.

Of course, Veszprém is an important city for us, Hungarians, for all the reasons mentioned in the article above. Moreover, Europe and the whole world also appreciate the beauty and culture the city offers, as Veszprém gained the UNESCO City of Music title in 2019.

Maybe an even more significant recognition is the fact that

Veszprém will be the European Capital of Culture in 2023.

Naturally, the city has changed a lot since the time of the first Hungarian king. But going through the past 1000 years would not only take a lot of time, but it would also be quite impossible. So instead, we will only go back around 100 years to see how differently the City of Queens used to shine. 

We start our tour in 1900, over 100 years ago. Óváros tér (Old City Square) is one of the most important squares of the city. It received its current name after the regime change at the beginning of the 90s. The picture you see below is from the first year of the 20^th century when the square was still called Market Square, referring to the big market operating here at that time.

Staying in the same year, below you can see one of the most important buildings, not only of Veszprém but of the whole county. This is the County House, where all the important officials worked and held their sessions. It was built little before this photo was taken and inaugurated only in 1887. Today, one of the best confectionaries in the city is situated on the opposite side of the street.