Balaton North shore

Balatonalmádi
Almádi is first mentioned in a latin document from 1493 of purchasing of grapes: “in promontorio possesionis Zarbereny in loco Almàdi vote sitam” On the mountain of Szárberény, in a place called Almàdi.
Today´s city of Balatonalmádi is the union of Vörösberény, Almádi, Káptalanfüred and Budatava.
Almádi is a well known and beloved place to stay in the north part of the lake.

Balatonfüred
Balatonfüred is a little town on the nothern shore of Lake Balaton surrounded by the southern slopes of Tamás Hill and by the Tihany peninsula. The number of its population is 13.500. Since 1971 Balatonfüred is the first spa in Hungary. It has also gained the title of "International Town of Grapes and Wine". The town became famous mostly because of the curative springs and its mediterranean-like climate.
Balatonfüred was already inhabited in the Roman Ages. Its name was first mentioned in the estate registration of the Tihany Abbey in 1211.
Numerous ill people recovered in the National Hospital for Heart Diseases, for example Rabindranath Tagore, the famous Nobel prized hindu poet. In the Füred Pantheon the town raises monuments to the memory of writers, poets, artists, scientists who played an important role in the life of the spa. There are memory trees and sculptures in the park reminding of the visits of famous guests.

Tihany
The only peninsula of Balaton, unique with its rich natural and historical values. Ferry-boats transporting cars and buses, too, from the southern edge of the peninsula. Currently popular resort of 1,300 inhabitants.
Church and monastery of the Abbey are the two most well-known sights of Tihany. The crypt (from 1055) is a hall crypt of three naves of Roman style remained in good state; it is the only royal burial-place remained in its Árpád-age state in Hungary.
Tihany echo mentioned so many times in literature entertains tourists rebounding from the wall of the Abbey Church. Usual building materials of folk monument houses are basaltic tuff and reed.
Well-equipped ports wait for the lovers of yachting. Inner Lake (Belső-tó) is a place like heaven for anglers. The whole territory of Tihany peninsula is a nature conservation area.
The original, natural state of the shore (reeds undisturbed) is kept at Bozsai bay at the south-western side of the peninsula.

Badacsony
Tapolcai hollow with the basalt hills bordering provides perhaps the most varied scenery of the country. Two millions of tourists visit this region each year. The southest hill of the mountain is Badacsony forming a peninsula in the Lake.
There is a wide variety of programmes in summer and autumn in Badacsony. Badacsony Feast and Folk Art Fair at the first week-end of August, Badacsony Vintage in the middle of September (national programme of two days with procession, open market, fireworks and vintage ball). Badacsony Wine Week on the week preceeding the procession; the village is full of wine specialists at that time.

Keszthely
Keszthely town has the proud title of being the ´Capital of Balaton´. Keszthely has an atmosphere, where the
visitor will see the remains of the past at every turn, the Festetics Castle, the promenade along the shore with hundred-year old hotels. The age of the Monarchy is reflected by the hotels built in the 19th century; Hotel Balaton and Hullám and the only remaining islandbath of the Balaton was built in 1892. The island-bath belongs to the Central Beach. Among the three open-air baths of Keszthely this is one of the nicely built in. The Beach in Libás can be found in beautiful surroundings, next to it the yacht harbour of the town was built.
Festetics Castle
It gained its final – neo-baroque – form in the 1880s. It miraculously avoided destruction during the second World War. As Helikon Castle Museum, it has been independent since 1974. It´s library of 100000 volumes is the only complete aristocratic collection in Hungary to have been left intact. It is a museum (permanent and temporary exhibitions), a conference and cultural centre.

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