Székesfehérvár

Székesfehérvár German: Stuhlweißenburg; Latin: Alba Regia; Croatian: Stolni Biograd; Serbian: Стони Београд; Slovak: Stoličný Belehrad), known colloquially as Fehérvár (lit. 'white castle'), is a city in central Hungary, and the country's ninth-largest city. It is the regional capital of Central Transdanubia, and the centre of Fejér County and Székesfehérvár District. The area is an important rail and road junction between Lake Balaton and Lake Velence. Székesfehérvár, a royal residence (székhely),as capital of the Kingdom of Hungary, held a central role in the Middle Ages. As required by the Doctrine of the Holy Crown, the first kings of Hungary were crowned and buried here. Significant trade routes led to the Balkans and Italy, and to Buda and Vienna. Historically the city has come under Ottoman and Habsburg control, and was known in many languages by translations of "white castle" – Croatian: Biograd, Slovak: Belehrad, etc.