Located 12 km's from the Balaton in the basin named after the town itself. A settlement was already formed here as far back as the Neolithic period. The Slavic originated word Toplucha, means thermal spring in Hungarian. The dynamically developing town with a population of 20,000 was already a centerof this region in the 18th century. People used all the traditional means of production here. The provincial wines produced in the region and favored by many all raround Europe have been the main source of income for the localpopulation for hundreds of years. The cityscape shows obvious signs of the active trading, which took place here during the previous century. As a result of certain major developments around the turn of the century the town became the center of traffic in this region. As the bauxite mines gained more importance during the 60's, the area, wich was a village until then was declared a town once more. Since then the name of the town became more familiar to travelers through the sights located around and in the town. Besides the sights there are many different programs for tourist from springtime to autumn.

The Cave, which is a unique spectacle in Central-Europe, can be found in the heart of the town. It was discovered in 1902 during a well-digging and ten years later it opened for the visitors. The liwer chambers and some parts of the upper corridors of the three level cave-taken shape by caristic water- is covered by 19 centigrade degree water. This is a 300 meter long reach which can be travelled around by boat. In the clear water the paths that lead ti the lower chambers also clearly can be seen. The healing power of of the Cave's special climate have been known for a long time. The extremely clean air, the relatively constant temperature ( 14-16 degree) and the vapour content 100 % is a great help in treatment of the patients suffer from allergy, asthma or respiratory illnesess. In order to be able to do this another branch the Hospital-cave is used. This was discovered in1925.

Hungary's best-preserved fortress presumably was built before the mid 13th century since King Béla IV lived here for a while during the Mongolian invasion (1241-1242). It was extended several times during successive centuries. There is a beautiful footpath leading up to the fortress, the main tourist attraction in Sümeg. Castle Hill itself is also a special sight as it rises out of the plain. This position made it an excellent site to defend and thus a strong border fortress. 125 metres long and 80 metres wide, the castle is oriented north to south and has an irregular polygonal shape. After entering the outer castle gates, the walled path leads to the internal gatehouse that opens onto the courtyard. Outside the gate of the keep is a wolf pit which once had a drawbridge over it. Some of the buildings, such as the Köves Bastion in the north and the Old Tower, have been covered over.

Looking down towards Court Magistrate Square from the gatehouse, see the ruins of the strangely named Fort Haversack. This was not a separate fortress but a tower that probably protected the entrance to the town. The castle also has a museum presenting its history, next to ancient methods and instruments of punishment, and a collections of sabres and coaches. The fortress is today the venue for spectacular shows and tournaments. Since 1994 the artists of the Sándor Petőfi Theatre of Veszprém stage plays within the framwork of 'Sümeg Castle Theatre' during the summer tourist season.