Vác

Vác
Vác
	— Town (Város) —
	Vác Cathedral
	; Coat of arms
	; Coat of arms
	Location of Pest County in Hungary
	; ; Vác Location of Vác in Hungary
	; ; Vác Location of Vác in Pest County
	Coordinates: 47°46′35″N 19°08′14″E / 47.77639, 19.13722
Country	Hungary
Region	Central Hungary
County	Pest
Subregion	Váci
	Government
• Mayor	Attila Fördős (Ind.)
	Area
• Total	61.60 km2 (23.78 sq mi)
Elevation	115 m (377 ft)
	Population (1-1-2014)
• Total	33,302
• Density	553.81/km2 (1,434.4/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	2600
Dialing code	27

Main	Births etc

Vác (German: Waitzen, Slovak: Vacov Yiddish: ווייצען) ) is a town in Pest County, Central Hungary Region in Hungary with approximately 35,000 inhabitants. The archaic spelling of the name is Vácz.

Location[]

Vác is located 35 kilometres (22 miles) north of Budapest on the eastern bank of the Danube 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.

Modern Vác[]

Vác is a commercial center as well as a popular summer resort for citizens of Budapest. The cathedral, built 1761–1777, was modelled after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. 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 has been found.

Bishops from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Vác were influential within the Kingdom of Hungary, with many serving as chancellors or later becoming archbishops.

On 17 March 1241, due to the attack of Mongols the whole population was slaughtered, Vác ceased to exist and Mongols set up camp there.^[1]^[2]^[3] After the departure of the Mongols Vác was rebuilt and inhabited by German colonists.^[4]

The town was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1541. During the Habsburg Monarchy's wars against the Ottomans, the Austrians won victories against the Turks at Vác in 1597 and in 1684.

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).

See also:

Bishopric of Vác

Demographics[]

Ethnicity[]

Hungarians : 94.9%
[Gypsies]] : 1.3%
Germans : 0.5%
Romanians : 0.1%
Slovaks : 0.5%
Ukrainians : 0.1%
Other/Undeclared: 4.5%

Religious denomination[]

Roman Catholic: 59.4%
Greek Catholic: 0.7%
Calvinist: 9.3%
Lutheran: 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:

Roman Catholic: 76.3%
Jewish: 11.2%
Calvinist: 8.3%
Lutheran: 2.8%
Other denomination: 1.4%

Gallery[]

International relations[]

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Hungary

Twin towns — Sister cities[]

Vác is a twinned with:^[5]

- Deuil-la-Barre, Val-d'Oise, France - Donaueschingen Baden-Württemberg, Germany - Dubnica nad Váhom, Trenčín Region, Slovakia - Givatayim, Tel Aviv District, Israel - Järvenpää, Southern Finland - Otrokovice, Zlín Region, Czech Republic - Odorheiu Secuiesc, Harghita, Romania - Šahy, Nitra Region, Slovakia - Sarıyer, Turkey - Tyachiv, Zakarpattia Oblast, Ukraine - Yurihonjō, Akita Prefecture, Japan