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BALATON
 The
lake Balaton is a family paradise. Welcome to our guests.
The lake is one of the most loved holiday places in Middle-Europe because of
the weather, the good climatic and geography and because of its nice water
temperature. Its area is almost 600km2. The lake is 77km long. Its mean
width is 8km, the biggest difference between the two beaches is 14km. The
lowest difference between Tihany and Szántód is 1.5km. The water is about
20-25 OC warm in the summer time. The south beach is very shallow, perfect
for children and people who can not swim. It's a real paradise for big and
small.
The fans of water sports can find many possibilities for sail boating,
windsurfing and rowing. The angler can practice their hobby too. You can
find many places for riding. In the towns there are modern sport
establishments like tennis courts and bowling opportunities. Not far from
the lake are the famous termalbaths in Igal, Nagyatád, Csokonyavisonta and
Csisztapuszta.
Welcome to Siófok
 A
lively holiday resort and an ideal centre for bathing, Siófok is a town with
some 24,000 inhabitants in County Somogy and a centre of the southern shore
of Lake Balaton, which is the biggest lake of Central and Eastern Europe.
Being the largest holiday resort with 16 km long shore at the lake, it is
often called the capital of Balaton. Today Siófok is a popular tourist and
cultural centre, in 1997 it won a gold prize at the competition of the
European Flower Cities.
In ancient times the settlement was inhabited by the Celts and the Romans.
In 292 Emperor Galerius had a lock built here at the Sió, a natural outflow
of the lake, which connects the River Danube with Lake Balaton. The first
written sources mentioned the place in 1137, though the Deed of Tihany, the
first Hungarian linguistic record dating from 1055, included it as Fok. In
Turkish times it used to be the most significant naval port of the enemy’s
fleet, a water fortification was completely depopulated. The construction of
the Southern Railway in 1861 was a turning point in the life of the place,
then the modern Sió-lock and the port were completed. The bathing house was
constructed in 1878, the water tower, a symbol of the town, in 1912.
Sights, places of interest:
 The
single-towered Catholic church was built in Baroque style in 1739. Planned
by Imre Makovecz, the Lutheran church was completed with Finnish help in
1993. The birthplace of Imre Kálmán, the world famous operetta composer who
was born here, houses a museum today. The valuable collection of the Mineral
Museum is also well worth a visit.
The holiday resort is divided into three parts: the town centre, Golden
Beach and Silver Beach. On the largest shoreline of the lake around 20,000
people can find recreation. The port is the centre of Balaton shipping. It
is worth mentioning that the Balaton Meteorological Research Station can
forecast storms bein developed suddenly.
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