Velence
Velence, with a population of 5100, is located at the northeastern end of Lake Velence
Recommended tours
The longest tourist trail, the S Trail starts at the train station, goes through to mountain, through Lovasberény to Pátka.
A tourist trail at the Ófalu (Old Village) part of Velence, goes through the M7 Highway to Bence Mountain. There is a lookout tower on the mountain with a nice panorama.
At the border of the city, there are tourist trails to Velence, Sukoró or Meleg Mountain.
Attractions
On the southwestern side of Bence Mountain is the Press House of Mihály Vörösmarty, an important Hungarian poet.
Next to the traditional building is a wine press from the 19th century. Also important winery monuments are the Szűcs and Schwanner Cellars. The Gádoros Cellars can be found next to the petrol station.
The Classical style Roman Catholic church was built in around 1830. Its Copf pulpit is from the 1800’s, the Classical high altar is from 1830. Opposite the entrance of the church stands the Baroque statue of St. John of Nepomuk from the 18th century.
Hereabout is the Baroque Reformed church which was built in around 1686.
On the hill between Bágyom Stream and Tábor Street, near the train station is the Meszleny Palace. It was built in the second half of the 18th century in Baroque style then expanded with a Classical wing in the 19th century. At 23 Ország Street, in a beautiful park is the Eclectic Hauszmann-Gschwindt Palace which operates as a hotel.
The Meszleny-Wenckheim Palace at 52 Tópart Street is the Meszleny-Wenckheim Palace which houses a library, a social worker centre and a playground.
At 1 Régiposta Street is the Beck Palace. The Eclectic building was built at the end of the 19th century.
The Manndorff–Wickenburg–Nemeskéri–Kiss Hall at 26 Tópart Street was built at the end of the 19th century and it houses the Mayor’s Office.
Other palaces in the city are the Gudenus–Kacskovics Palace (2 Zárt Street) and the Peék–Wickenburg Palace (34 Tópart Street).
History
Velence was already inhabited in the Bronze Ages and the remains of an Iron Age settlement have been found. The grave found near Road 7 proves the presence of the Eravisi, a Celtic tribe.
The Roman road of Aquincum-Gorsium lead through this area and a major Roman settlement called Floriana was located here. During the Migration Period Lombards and Avars settled here. A cemetery from the time of the Hungarians’ arrival have been found.
The first written mentioning of the city (as Venetia) is in Rerum Hungaricum by Antonio Bonfini, a humanist historian. The name of the city is the same as Venice in Hungarian, there are multiple explanations for this. The first settlers of the village may have been Italian architects who built Székesfehérvár and they named the city after their home. According to another theory, the city was named after the lake which means weathercock.
Not much is known about the history of the city in the Middle Ages, a village was founded in the area in the 15th century. During the Ottoman Invasion it became desolated.