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The town of VAC , 40km north of Budapest, has a worldlier past than its present sleepy atmosphere suggests, the result being that you can enjoy its architectural heritage in relative peace. Its bishops traditionally showed a flair for self-promotion, like the cardinals of Esztergom, endowing monuments and colleges. Under Turkish occupation (1544-1686), Vac assumed an oriental character, with seven mosques and a public hammam , while during the Reform Era it was linked to Budapest by Hungary's first rail line (the second continued to Bratislava). In 1849 two battles were fought at Vac, the first a victory for the town over the Austrian army, followed a few months later by a defeat in July 1849 when the town was captured; the battles are commemorated by a bright green obelisk by the main road from Budapest, shortly before you enter the town. More recently Vac became notorious for its prison, which has one of the toughest regimes in the country and was used to incarcerate leftists under Admiral Horthy and "counter-revolutionaries" under Communism. Though Vac's legacy of sights justifies a visit, it's not worth staying unless you're planning to visit Vacratot or Zebegeny, or are coming specially for the annual festival at the end of July.
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