Veszprém megye

The varied landscape of Veszprém County offers many different opportunities for holidays and recreation. Lake Balaton and thermal waters await those wishing to swim or take a curative soak; the Balaton Uplands and the Bakony Hills are popular with nature-lovers; or one can ponder the past while meandering through historic towns. The traditions of the wine regions (Badacsony, Csopak, Somló) and local cuisine are also an attraction.

Veszprém County encompasses 4,639 square kilometres and has a population of 372,000, of whom 58 percent live in the county's ten larger towns.

The county seat is Veszprém and the other cities are: Ajka, Badacsonytomaj, Balatonalmádi, Balatonfűzfő, Balatonfüred, Berhida, Devecser, Herend, Pápa, Sümeg, Tapolca, Várpalota, and Zirc.

A significant proportion of the county is covered by the Bakony Hills; to the north it is defined by the Little Plain (Kisalföld), to the south by Lake Balaton. The remnant hills of the Balaton Uplands form the county's most spectacular landscape; this range of hills with its over 200 cones is a treasure acknowledged across Europe. Among the lake and caverns, Spring Cave (Tavasbarlang) in Tapolca discovered in 1902 and the Stone Sea (Kőtenger) of the Kál Basin (Káli-medence) renowned for its fantastic rock formations, are real rarities. The Upper Balaton National Park (Balaton-felvidéki Nemzeti Park) protects the area's natural assets and its flora and fauna.

A rich array of secular and ecclesiastical heritage sights can be seen and visited in the county seat of Veszprém , as well as in Zirc, Pápa, Tihany and Csesznek. Veszprém is an episcopal seat, Cistercian monks established their Abbey in Zirc and the Benedictines in Tihany, while Pápa has a distinguished past as a Reformed church school town.

Among the heritage sights, some of the museums preserving age-old traditions are notable: Pápa's Museum of Blue Dyeing (Kékfestő Múzeum) in Central Europe's oldest blue-dyeing workshop; the Porcelain Museum of Herend and the Brick Museum (Téglamúzeum) of Veszprém.

Valuable ecclesiastical artefacts are on display in Veszprém and Tihany, while the region's natural heritage of the Bakony is exhibited in the Natural Science Museum (Természettudományi Múzeum) in Zirc.

In the summer, the tourism attracted by Lake Balaton dominates the life of Veszprém County, while spa and cultural tourism is available all year round. Guests can choose from around 32,000 accommodation places in the area, from which around 30,000 are at Lake Balaton.