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Vác
Vác
Town
	; Vác Cathedral (upper left) and other locations in Vác
	Flag Coat of arms
	Vác Location of Vác Vác Vác (Europe)
	Coordinates: 47°46′31″N 19°07′52″E / 47.77518°N 19.13102°E
Country	Hungary
County	Pest
District	Vác
Government
• Mayor	Ilona Matkovich (Independent)
Area
• Total	61.60 km2 (23.78 sq mi)
Population (2013)
• Total	33,475
• Density	543/km2 (1,410/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	2600
Area code	27

Vác (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈvaːt͡s]; German: Waitzen; Slovak: Vacov; Yiddish: ווייצען) is a thousand-year old city in Pest county 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.^[1]

Modern Vác

Vác is a commercial center as well as a popular summer resort for citizens of Budapest. The Vác Cathedral, built 1761–1777, was modelled after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.^[1] The episcopal palace houses a museum for Roman and medieval artifacts.^[1] 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. The origin of its name is debated. One hypothesis says that the name comes from a Hungarian tribal name "Vath".^[2]

It has been the seat of a Roman Catholic bishopric since the 11th century.^[1] 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 population was slaughtered and Mongols set up camp there.^[3]^[4]^[5] After the departure of the Mongols, Vác was rebuilt and German colonists were invited to the town.^[2] 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.^[1] After the Great Turkish War, Vác was rebuilt and repopulated. This re-population was both spontaneous and planned.^[2] 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, Vác was captured on 8 December 1944 by Soviet troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front in the course of the Budapest Offensive.

Demographics

Ethnicity

Hungarians : 94.9%
Romani people : 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%

Notable people

Géza I, King of Hungary
Tibor Gánti, theoretical biologist and biochemist
Nat Nichols, componist, jazz pianist and missionary.

Twin towns – sister cities

Vác is twinned with:^[6]

Deuil-la-Barre, France
Donaueschingen, Germany
Dubnica nad Váhom, Slovakia
Givatayim, Israel
Järvenpää, Finland
Odorheiu Secuiesc, Romania
Otrokovice, Czech Republic
Šahy, Slovakia
Sarıyer, Turkey
Tiachiv, Ukraine
Zawadzkie, Poland

Gallery

The Sharpened Tower - single remaining tower of the Castle of Vác
Dom - Cathedral of Vác. Built in early classicist style, it was the first iteration of this new architectural movement in Hungary.
The Arc of Triumph built for Empress Maria Theresia's visit in 1764. It is the only arch of triumph in Hungary.