Balaton district guide [antikvár]

On the Balaton Lake Balaton is the largest fresh water lake in western and central Europe. It is 77 km in length and its width at the widest point between Balatonfüzfő and Balatonvilágos is 14 km, while its narrowest is a kilometer and a half, between Tihany and Szántód. The surface of the lake is 596 km2. At one time the surface of the present day lake was covered by the Pontus sea. The Pannon sea was a vestige of this, slowly filled in by the sedimentation carried by the inflowing waters. At the time this happened, in the Triassic period of the Mesozoic era vulcanic activity also began in the area. As the lava cooled the basalt settled on the Pannonian sedimentation and sand and shaped the upper region of Lake Balaton, in particular, the unusual panorama of the Tapolca basin, the "witness mountains". Following the volcanos, hot water from deep under the ground broke through to the surface. The cones formed by the geysers can still be seen around the lake, for instance, at the Tihany peninsula. The region around the lake has been steadily inhabited ever since man appeared on earth. Remnants of human culture from the Neolithic age on can be found all over. The upswing however, came with the Romans. Legions appeared at the time of the Emperor Augustus, as always, accompanied by traders. An important road ran along the lakeshore, mentioned later in the Deed of Foundation of the Tihany Abbey as a military route. The Romans called the lake Lacus Pelso, and built villas on both shores. Following the Romans came the Huns, the Eastern Goths, the Longobards, the Avars, and then the Slavs. According to researchers, Theodoric the Great, the famous ruler of the Goths, was born here. During the time of the great migrations Zalavar was the central point of the lake, where Pribina, supporting Franconian interests built the famous fortress known as Blat-nograd or Mosaburg. Most likely, this was also the time when the lake received its present name. The word Balaton, or as it 1