Vác

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Coordinates: 47°46′31″N 19°07′52″E / 47.77518, 19.13102
Vác
Vác Location of Vác
Country	Hungary
County	Pest
Area
- Total	61.63 km² (23.8 sq mi)
Population (2004)
- Total	33,323
- Density	540.69/km² (1,400.4/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	2600
Area code(s)	27

Vác (pronounced [ˈvaːts], approximately "vats"), (sometimes spelled Väcz^{[citation needed]}; Slovak: Vacov, German: Waitzen, Latin: Vacium) is a city in Pest county in Hungary with approximately 33,000 inhabitants. The town is occasionally known in Hungarian by the archaic names Vacz and Vacs.

1 Location
2 Modern Vác
3 History
4 Demographics
- 4.1 Ethnicity
- 4.2 Religious denomination
5 Gallery
6 Twin towns
7 Sources and external links

[edit] Location

Vác is located north of Budapest on the left bank of the Danube river where it bends to begin its southern route. The town is seated at the foot of the Naszály Mountain on the outskirts of the Carpathians.

[edit] Modern Vác

Vác Cathedral

Main Square

The Danube at 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 triumphal arch.

[edit] History

Settlement in Vác dating as far back as the Roman Empire has been found.

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

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 1684.

See also:

Bishopric of Vác

[edit] Demographics

[edit] Ethnicity

Magyars : 94.9%
Roma : 1.3%
Germans : 0.5%
Romanians : 0.1%
Slovaks : 0.5%
Ukrainians : 0.1%
Other/Undeclared: 4.5%

[edit] 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%

[edit] Gallery

Vác	The Sharpened Tower	Castle, Vác	The Stone Gate was built for Empress Maria Theresia's visit in 1764.
Holy Trinity columns	Main Square	Cathedral of Vác