Veszprém is not only the largest town on the northern shore of "Lake Balaton", but also one of Hungary's leading cultural centres. It is home to the University of Pannonia, where the technical intellectuals of the Hungarian glass industry are trained to this day. The material engineers were the grey eminences of the once flourishing Hungarian glass industry, without whom, although few remember them, the wonderful objects of Hungarian glass art could not have been created. They were the ones who mixed the finest lead crystal, the most wonderful colours, noble enamels, revolutionary and forward-looking materials. Zoltán Veress and Zoltán Suha, who also made their mark in glass art, deserve a special mention here.

The region of Veszprém is also one of the most important centres of glassmaking in Hungary, so it is no coincidence that when the city is European Capital of Culture this year, it is important that Veszprém is represented at The Venice Glass Week at a time when the Bakony glassmaking community is going through its most difficult times. The city is home to one of the country's largest collections of contemporary and historical glass art, the Laczkó Dezső Museum, where, in addition to old glass from the glassworks (’üveghuták’) of Bakony and decorative glass from the factory in Ajka, the greatest artists of Hungarian autonomous glass art are also represented. The glass collection of the Laczkó Dezső Museum is represented with important works in the Glass Art Now! exhibition. The world-famous Varga Crystal also set out to conquer the world from Veszprém County, with lead crystal glassware that has brought light and brightness into the everyday lives of prime ministers and monarchs, Hollywood stars and musicians worldwide. In their Ajka factory, they continue to create wonderful, handcrafted lines for Tiffany, Cartier, Henry Winston and Fabergé, alongside their own Varga Crystal brand, which is exported to countries around the world.