According to local legend, Veszprém was founded on seven hills. The seven hills are Várhegy (Castle Hill), Benedek-hegy (St. Benedict Hill), Jeruzsálem-hegy (Jerusalem Hill), Temetőhegy (Cemetery Hill), Gulyadomb (Herd Hill), Kálvária-domb (Calvary Hill), and Cserhát.
Anonymus, the notary of King Béla III wrote that a castle already stood here when the Hungarians first occupied the area. The castle was probably a 9th century Frankish fortress. The castles of Veszprém, Esztergom and Székesfehérvár, were the earliest Hungarian stone castles, which had already been built during the reign of High Prince Géza, a time when mote castles were much more common.
The name of the city originates from the Slavic word Bezprym, which was originally a personal name. Ján Kollár derived its name from Ves Perunova - Perun's village and mentioned also a German derivation from Weiss-Brunn - white well. The city was named either after a chieftain, or the son of Princess Judith (elder sister of St. Stephen of Hungary), who settled here after her husband Boleslaus I of Poland expelled her and her son.
Veszprém had an important religious role during the struggle to make Christianity the official religion of Hungary - Stephen I of Hungary defeated the armies of his chief opponent, Koppány, near Veszprém. The city became the first Episcopal seat of Hungary in 1009 and an archiepiscopal seat in 1993. Comitatus Veszprém was one of the earliest historical counties of Hungary.
Veszprém was the favorite city of Queen Gisela, the wife of St. Stephen. For centuries, the queens of Hungary were crowned by the bishop of Veszprém. The city is still often called "the city of queens". In the year 1294 Queen Fenenna confirmed that, at that time, the former(!) Queen Elizabeth had the privilege to collect the donations of the church in the Veszprém County. Veszprém changed hands between Austrians and Ottomans until 1684 after the Battle of Mohács in 1526
