Hidden sights of a Balaton-side settlement that will surprise you! 🌊

Balatonakarattya is the first settlement on the northeastern shore of the lake, so for guests arriving from Budapest this means the first encounter with the sparkling water surface of Lake Balaton. Climbing up the loess plateau, the view suddenly unfolds: to the right the mountains of the Balaton Uplands, in the distance the gray line of the Tihany Peninsula stretches into the water, while to the south the hills of Aliga descend towards the Somogy shore.

The area around the settlement was already inhabited in the Árpád era, with several smaller villages (Máma, Sándor, Csittény) located in the present-day territory. After the Roman period, Huns, Goths and Avars also passed through here, their memory preserved in the Veszprém museum. Later Prince Géza donated the villages to the Veszprém convent, and King Kálmán confirmed the property relations in 1109.

During the Turkish times the settlement became depopulated, but in 1718 it reappears under the name Akarattya major. The name is of Hungarian origin, derived from the word “akarat”, referring to the fact that the inhabitants of the area were exempted from certain services by royal will. This historical background is still part of the Balaton identity today 🌊.

Thus Balatonakarattya is not merely a transit place, but the eastern gateway where the lakeside experience begins the moment you arrive. The panorama and the memories of the distant past together offer a unique atmosphere to everyone heading towards Lake Balaton.

Source: balatonakarattya.hu