Lake Balaton

Coordinates: 46°51′00″N 17°43′12″E / 46.85000°N 17.72000°E / 46.85000; 17.72000
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Lake Balaton
Zala River
Primary outflowsSió
Catchment area5,174 km2 (1,998 sq mi)[1]
Basin countriesHungary
Max. length78 km (48 mi)
Max. width14 km (8.7 mi)
Surface area600 km2 (230 sq mi)
Average depth3.3 m (11 ft)
Max. depth12.2 m (40 ft)
Water volume1.9 km3 (0.46 cu mi)
Residence time2 years
Shore length1235 km (146 mi)
Surface elevation104.8 m (344 ft)
SettlementsKeszthely, Siófok, Balatonfüred (see list)
Designated17 March 1989
Reference no.421[2]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Balaton (Hungarian:

Zala River provides the largest inflow of water to the lake, and the canalized Sió
is the only outflow.

The mountainous region of the northern shore is known both for its

grape vines, began building summer homes to rent out to the burgeoning middle class.[4]

Name

In distinction to all other

Proto-Slavic boltьno, cf. Slovene: Blatno jezero,[6][7] Slovak: Blatenské jazero[8]
).

In January 846, the

Lower Pannonian Principality became known as Blatnohrad or Moosburg (literally, 'Swamp Fortress'), and it served as a bulwark against both the Bulgarians and the Moravians.[9][10][11]

The

Neusiedler See, which is roughly 1 m or 3.3 ft).[16]

Climate

Map of Balaton in ancient times
Balaton seen from Sentinel-2 satellite

Lake Balaton affects precipitation in the local area. The area receives approximately 5–7 cm (2–3 in) more precipitation than most of Hungary, resulting in more cloudy days and less extreme temperatures. The lake freezes over during winters. The microclimate around Lake Balaton has also made the region ideal for viticulture. The Mediterranean-like climate, combined with the soil (containing volcanic rock), has made the region notable for its production of wines since the Roman period 2,000 years ago.[17]

History

Detail of a silver plate from the Seuso Treasure with the inscription PELSO (i.e., 'Balaton')

While a few settlements on Lake Balaton, including Balatonfüred and Hévíz, have long been resort centres for the Hungarian aristocracy, it was only in the late 19th century that the Hungarian middle class began to visit the lake.[18] The construction of railways in 1861 and 1909 increased tourism substantially, but the post-war boom of the 1950s was much larger.

By the turn of the 20th century, Balaton had become a center of research by Hungarian biologists, geologists, hydrologists, and other scientists, leading to the country's first biological research institute being built on its shore in 1927.[19]

The last major German offensive of

Hungarian Third Army between 6 and 16 March 1945, and in the end, resulted in a Red Army victory. Several Ilyushin Il-2 wrecks have been pulled out of the lake after having been shot down during the later months of the war.[20][21]

During the 1960s and 1970s, Balaton became a major tourist destination due to focused government efforts, causing the number of overnight guests in local hotels and campsites to increase from 700,000 in July 1965 to two million in July 1975. The number of weekend visitors to the region, including tens of thousands from Budapest, reached more than 600,000 by 1975.[19] It was visited by ordinary working Hungarians and especially for subsidised holiday excursions for labor union members.[citation needed] It also attracted many East Germans and other residents of the Eastern Bloc. West Germans could also visit, making Balaton a common meeting place for families and friends separated by the Berlin Wall until 1989.[22]

Tourism

The major resorts around the lake are Siófok, Keszthely, and Balatonfüred. Zamárdi, another resort town on the southern shore, has been the site of Balaton Sound, a notable electronic music festival since 2007. Balatonkenese has hosted numerous traditional gastronomic events. Siófok is known for attracting young people to it because of its large clubs. Keszthely is the site of the Festetics Palace and Balatonfüred is a historical bathing town which hosts the annual Anna Ball.[23]

The peak tourist season extends from June until the end of August. The average water temperature during the summer is 25 °C (77 °F), which makes bathing and swimming popular on the lake. Most of the beaches consist of either grass, rocks, or the silty sand that also makes up most of the bottom of the lake. Many resorts have artificial sandy beaches and all beaches have step access to the water. Other tourist attractions include sailing, fishing, and other water sports, as well as visiting the countryside and hills, wineries on the north coast, and nightlife on the south shore. The

ice-fishing
or even skate, sledge, or ice-sail on the lake if it freezes over.

Sármellék International Airport
provides air service to Balaton (although most service is only seasonal).

Other resort towns include: Balatonalmádi, Balatonboglár, Balatonlelle, Fonyód and Vonyarcvashegy.

Towns and villages

Towns and villages alongside Lake Balaton.

North shore

From east to west:

Balatonfőkajár - Balatonakarattya - Balatonkenese - Balatonfűzfő - Balatonalmádi - Alsóörs - Paloznak - Csopak - Balatonarács - Balatonfüred - Tihany - Aszófő - Örvényes - Balatonudvari - Fövenyes - Balatonakali - Zánka - Balatonszepezd - Szepezdfürdő - Révfülöp - Pálköve - Ábrahámhegy - Balatonrendes - Badacsonytomaj - Badacsony - Badacsonytördemic - Szigliget - Balatonederics - Balatongyörök - Vonyarcvashegy - Gyenesdiás - Keszthely

South shore

From east to west:

Széplak - Zamárdi - Szántód - Balatonföldvár - Balatonszárszó - Balatonszemes - Balatonlelle - Balatonboglár - Fonyód - Fonyód–Alsóbélatelep - Bélatelep - Balatonfenyves - Balatonmáriafürdő - Balatonkeresztúr - Balatonberény - Fenékpuszta

Gallery

Panorama from Balaton and Keszthely

See also

References

  1. ISBN 978-0-412-74060-2
    . Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  2. ^ "Lake Balaton Regional Water Institute". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  3. ^ "Lake Balaton". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
  4. ^ "History of Lake Balaton - Lonely Planet Travel Information". Lonelyplanet.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  5. ISBN 9789004142152
    . Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  6. ^ Historical review - Google Knihy. 2009-01-06. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  7. ISBN 9780598570208
    . Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  8. ^ Stanislav, Ján (1956). Dejiny slovenského jazyka - Ján Stanislav - Google Knihy. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  9. ^ a b Bartl 2002, p. 19.
  10. ^ a b Róna-Tas 1999, p. 243.
  11. ^ a b Goldberg 2006, p. 85.
  12. ^ "Urlaub in Ungarn - Ferienwohnung Ferienhaus am Plattensee in Ungarn". Weltweit-urlaub.de. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  13. ^ Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 24. Aufl., s. v.
  14. ^ "the Grimm dictionary". Woerterbuchnetz.de. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  15. ^ [1] Archived July 16, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  16. ^ [2] Archived May 15, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ [3] Archived October 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  18. ^ Lake Balaton History Archived 2020-07-28 at the Wayback Machine at Lonely Planet
  19. ^
    JSTOR 4312371
    .
  20. ^ "Rescue of IL-2 M3 Lake Balaton Hungary". forum.il2sturmovik.com. Retrieved 2019-09-16.
  21. ^ "Lake Balaton and Herend". guideservicebudapest.com. Retrieved 2018-03-22.
  22. ^ "German unity at Lake Balaton – a European history". Dortmund.de. Archived from the original on 2014-01-02. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  23. ^ Linkon, FD. "Tihany, Balatonfüred and Lake Balaton: Pride of Veszprem, Hungary". www.tourola.eu. Tourola. Retrieved 4 August 2023.

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Lake Balaton.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Balaton.
Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Balaton".
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