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The area around Lake Balaton has been occupied for thousands of
years because of the fertile land, the clean drinking water and
the plentiful supply of fish. The area is full of history,
as illustrated by the recent discovery of the remains of a
Celtic village near Balatonboglar. The Celtic relics are
displayed at the tourist office in Balatonboglar. Many of
the other towns and villages around the lake have their own local
history museums and historical sites. The main historic
buildings in the area are at Kesthely, Sumeg and Tihany.
Keszthely is the oldest town by Lake Balaton. Prehistoric
remains have been found in the area. The Romans stayed there
and it has been occupied ever since. Central Keszthely is the site
of a 14th century Gothic church and the beautiful Festetics
Castle, built by the wealthy Festetics Family in 1745. The library
wing of the castle houses 86,000 books including rare volumes. The
first agricultural college in Europe was founded here in 1797 by
the Festetics family. The Balaton Museum in Keszthely
houses exhibits that illustrate the formation and history of Lake
Balaton as well as rare paintings from the area.
The castle at Sumeg, built in the 14th century, is one of the
best preserved in Hungary and houses a little museum, depicting
the castle's history, relics, torture chamber and waxwork gallery.
During the summer months, medieval battles are re-enacted and
there are displays of jousting.
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| Tihany Church |
Church
doorway |
Sheelagh and
Leona enjoying the view |
Tihany is a beautiful village
situated on a hilly peninsula on the Northern shore of Lake
Balaton. The 18th century Baroque church can be seen from
miles away perched on the hill. It was built around one of
the most precious monuments of Hungarian architecture, the crypt
of a former Benedictine church, founded in 1055, which survives in
its original form today. Tihany is dotted with very old and
beautifully preserved buildings that include little museums
depicting rural life by Lake Balaton in ancient times.
Fonyod commemorates Hungarian
history with a medieval drama festival in Early August.
Szantodpuszta, a few kilometres from Balatonboglar, has fine
examples of peasant architecture, dwelling houses and farm
buildings that can be seen in their original state. Zamardi has a
museum house with original furnishings. Buzsak has a
thatched museum house. Balatonendred has been associated
with lace making for over a century and examples can be bought in
shops and markets around the area.
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