Beautiful Balaton [antikvár]

he largest freshwater lake in Central Europe is the most beloved tourist destination in Hungary-every year thousands of foreigners and Hungarians flock here for a relaxing holiday. Lake Balaton and its surroundings await visitors with many memorable experiences: silky water, grassy and sandy beaches, continuously changing landscapes, unique natural formations, pleasant surroundings, colourful events and delicious wines. The "Hungarian Sea" (as they the Hungarian people call it) is ideal for swimming, sailing, horse riding, cycling, walking or to have a fantastic culinary or cultural experience. In here any tourist can find many interesting events, places to see which are part of the national cultural heritage -listed buildings, churches, palaces and cottages. The lake and the ever changing landscapes always attracted the creative minds. Writers, poets, painters and sculptors chose take Balaton as their home or holiday destination. Among these were Dániel Berzsenyi, Mór Jókai, Géza Mészöly, József Egry and many other renowned Hungarian artists-they all remembered this beautiful part of the country in their novels, poems and paintings. The lake is 77 kilometres long and its average width is 78 kilometres. Many rivers and streams flow into Balaton. On the southern side the water is shallow which attracts many holidaymakers. The waves built sandy beaches which became the best places for swimming and sunbathing. The northern shore offers a wide range of sights and places of interest. The area is famous for its rolling hills and pleasant valleys. The villages on the northern shore have a lovely Mediterranean feel. The houses, fences ore usually built of stone-this isatypical feature of the local architecture. This is shown in the names of places as well, for example in Köveskól, Kövógóörs ('kő' means 'stone' in Hungarian). The area around Lake Balaton has been inhabited for a long time. In the first centuries it was part of the Roman Empire and the Romans called it Lacus Pelso.The beautiful churches and abbeys were built later, in the 12"' and 13®' centuries in Romanesque and Gothic style. After the Mongolian invasion in the middle of the 13"' century castles crowned the hilltops - but failed to stop the following attacks. Today sadly only the ruins of these are visible in Szigliget, Csobánc, Tátika and Nagyvázsony -the once mighty defence system was destroyed in the beginning of the 18'^ century. Many churches, palaces and villas were built in Baroque style in the late 17"' and early IS**" century, when the 150 years Turkish rule finally ended.The houses and vineyard buildings continued this tradition with a touch of Classicist style. Later many holiday houses were constructed. The traditional, thatched cottages are mostly found on the northern shore of Lake Balaton - many were renovated recently. The major change came in the 19"' century which the Hungarians call 'the era of political reforms'. In the previous centuries the locals were living from fishing, wine-making and cutting reeds. In 1846 the first steam ships started to carry passengers on the lake and in 1861 the railway lines arrived. A few years later more and more people settled down on the lakeside, the first hotels were constructed for the prosperous middle-class families, and the first spa was built in Balatonfüred. Towns flourished on both sides of the lake: Siófok, Balatonföldvár, Balatonlelle, Balatonalmádi, Balatonfüred and Révfülöp where more holiday houses were built in the style of Swiss villas. In the 20"' century the area developed due