Vác (; german: Waitzen; sk, Vacov; yi, ווייצען) is a town in Pest county in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...

with approximately 35,000 inhabitants. The archaic spelling of the name is ''Vácz''.

Location

Vác is located north of

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population o ...

on the eastern bank of the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

river, below the bend where the river changes course and flows south. The town is seated at the foot of the Naszály Mountain in the foothills of the

Carpathians The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The range stretche ...

Modern Vác

Vác is a commercial center as well as a popular summer resort for citizens of Budapest. The

Vác Cathedral The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin and St Michael the Archangel ( hu, Nagyboldogasszony székesegyház), commonly known as Vác Cathedral, is a religious building in the Catholic Church that serves as the cathedral of the Dioce ...

, built 1761–1777, was modelled after St. Peter's Basilica in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. The episcopal palace houses a museum for Roman and medieval artifacts. The city is also known for its 18th-century arch of triumph and for its beautiful baroque city center.

History

Settlement in Vác dating as far back as the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...

has been found. The origin of its name is debated. One hypothesis says that the name comes from a Hungarian tribal name "Vath". Another theory says the name comes from Czecho-Slovak personal name Vac (Vác), which is the diminutive form of

Václav Václav () is a Czech male first name of Slavic origin, sometimes translated into English as Wenceslaus or Wenceslas. These forms are derived from the old Slavic/Czech form of this name: Venceslav. Nicknames are: Vašek, Vašík, Venca, Venda For ...

. It has been the seat of a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

bishopric since the 11th century. Bishops from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Vác were influential within the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coronation of the Hungarian monarch, c ...

, with many serving as chancellors or later becoming archbishops. On 17 March 1241, due to the attack of Mongols the population was slaughtered and Mongols set up camp there. After the departure of the Mongols, Vác was rebuilt and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

colonists were invited to the town. The town was conquered by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

in 1541. During the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

's wars against the Ottomans, the

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

ns won victories against the Turks at Vác in 1597 and in 1684. After the

Great Turkish War The Great Turkish War (german: Großer Türkenkrieg), also called the Wars of the Holy League ( tr, Kutsal İttifak Savaşları), was a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League consisting of the Holy Roman Empire, Pola ...

, Vác was rebuilt and repopulated. This re-population was both spontaneous and planned. According to the Truce of Zsitvatörök, Habsburg control of the fortress at Vác (also known as Vacz) was maintained, and its repair was sanctioned. During the Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence of 1848-49, the ''Honvédség'' routed the Austrian forces stationed in the city after a major battle (April 10, 1849); the Second Battle of Vác ended in Russian victory (July 17). During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Vác was captured on 8 December 1944 by

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front in the course of the Budapest Offensive.

Demographics

Ethnicity

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the ...

: 94.9% *

Romani people The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic Itinerant groups in Europe, itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have Ro ...

: 1.3% *

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

: 0.5% *

Romanians The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym '' Vlachs'') are a Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Romanian culture and ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they live primarily in Romania and Moldova. The 2011 Romania ...

: 0.1% *

Slovaks The Slovaks ( sk, Slováci, singular: ''Slovák'', feminine: ''Slovenka'', plural: ''Slovenky'') are a West Slavic ethnic group and nation native to Slovakia who share a common ancestry, culture, history and speak Slovak. In Slovakia, 4.4 mi ...

: 0.5% *

Ukrainians Ukrainians ( uk, Українці, Ukraintsi, ) are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. They are the seventh-largest nation in Europe. The native language of the Ukrainians is Ukrainian. The majority of Ukrainians are Eastern Ort ...

: 0.1% *Other/Undeclared: 4.5%

Religious denomination

: 59.4% *

Greek Catholic The term Greek Catholic Church can refer to a number of Eastern Catholic Churches following the Byzantine (Greek) liturgy, considered collectively or individually. The terms Greek Catholic, Greek Catholic church or Byzantine Catholic, Byzantine C ...

: 0.7% *

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John C ...

: 9.3% *

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

: 3.1% *Other denomination: 1.4% *Non-religious: 14.4% *Undeclared: 11.5% According to the 1910 census, the religious make-up of the town was the following: *

: 76.3% *

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

: 11.2% *

: 8.3% *

: 2.8% *Other denomination: 1.4%

Notable people

* Géza I, King of Hungary *

Tibor Gánti Tibor Gánti (10 September 1933 – 15 April 2009) was a Hungarian theoretical biologist and biochemist, who is best known for his theory of the chemoton, a model for defining the minimal nature of life. He taught industrial biochemistry at F ...

, theoretical biologist and biochemist * Nat Nichols, componist, jazz pianist and missionary.

Twin towns – sister cities

Vác is twinned with: * Deuil-la-Barre, France *

Donaueschingen Donaueschingen (; Low Alemannic: ''Eschinge'') is a German town in the Black Forest in the southwest of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg in the Schwarzwald-Baar '' Kreis''. It stands near the confluence of the two sources of the river D ...

, Germany * Dubnica nad Váhom, Slovakia * Givatayim, Israel *

Järvenpää Järvenpää (; sv, Träskända) is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located on the Helsinki–Riihimäki railway track in Uusimaa region, some north of Helsinki. Neighbouring municipalities are Tuusula, Sipoo and Mäntsälä. People ...

, Finland * Odorheiu Secuiesc, Romania * Otrokovice, Czech Republic *

Šahy Šahy ( hu, Ipolyság, rarely german: Eipelschlag) is a town in southern Slovakia, The town has an ethnic Hungarian majority and its population is 7,238 people (2018), with an average age of 42.5. Geography It is located at the eastern reaches o ...

, Slovakia * Sarıyer, Turkey * Tiachiv, Ukraine *

Zawadzkie Zawadzkie (german: Zawadzki, 1936–1945 ''Andreashütte''; szl, Zawadzke) is a town in Strzelce County, Opole Voivodeship, Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 admin ...

, Poland

Gallery

Hegyes torony.jpg, The Sharpened Tower Püspöki székesegyház (7513. számú műemlék).jpg, Cathedral in Vác Vac triumf.jpg, The Arc of Triumph built for Empress Maria Theresia's visit in 1764

References

External links

*
Official websiteThe newsportalLive webcam from the squareMap of VácMap of the surrounding areaTragor Ignác Museum of VácKatona Lajos Town LibraryAerial photographs: VácVác at funiq.hu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vac Populated places in Pest County Serb communities in Hungary