Veszprém

Veszprém rises on a rocky height between Lake Balaton and the Bakony Mountains. Its castle and cathedral formed an early centre of the Hungarian kingdom, closely associated with Queen Gisela. The bishops of Veszprém acquired the right to crown Hungary's queens, a distinction that gave the city a special place in royal ceremony.

The Ottoman wars turned the episcopal town into a frontier stronghold. Ottoman troops took Veszprém in 1552, and Habsburg forces recovered it in 1566. Its defences were strengthened during the long struggle, but the bishopric had to leave and did not return to the castle until 1630. Warfare and demolition damaged the old fortifications at the beginning of the eighteenth century. The castle district was subsequently rebuilt around its churches and episcopal buildings.