370 CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPE
Town Hall, one of many attractive buildings on Fő Square
Keszthely o
Keszthely is the oldest and largest of the towns that
line the shores of Lake Balaton (see pp368–9). Many
of its elegant streets evocatively preserve the small-town
atmosphere of the 19th century, when it was the pro-
perty of the Festetics family. Their Baroque family seat,
Festetics Palace (see pp372–3), is one of Hungary’s
finest stately homes. The town possesses one of the
lake’s few sandy beaches and serves as Balaton’s
cultural hub, hosting the annual Balaton Festival. Since
the conversion in 2006 of a nearby former Soviet airfield
into the FlyBalaton Airport, Keszthely is transforming
itself into one of the most visited places in Hungary.
R Franciscan Church
Fő tér 5. Tel (083) 314 271.
This grand building, towering
over the southern side of the
square, is the Franciscan
Church and former monastery
(Magyarok Nagyasszonya
Templom), built in the 14th
century. Its tall Neo-Gothic
tower with a 10-m (33-ft) spire
was added in the 18th century.
The crypt holds the tomb of
György Festetics (see p373),
P Fő Square and Town Hall
Fő tér.
At the heart of Keszthely is
the bustling Fő Square (Fő
tér), domi nated on its north ern
side by the attractive late-
Baroque, pastel-pink Town
Hall (Polgármesteri Hivatal).
This was built in 1790,
although the façade was exten-
sively remodelled in the 1850s.
Erected earlier, in 1770, the
Baroque Trinity Column, in
the centre of the square, looks
its best in early summer when
it is surrounded by bedding
flowers of every colour.
E Balaton Museum
Múzeum utca 2. Tel (083) 312 351.
# May–Oct: 10am–6pm Tue–Sun;
Nov–Apr: 9am–5pm Tue–Sat. 8 7
The mustard-yellow Neo-
Baroque Balaton Museum
(Balatoni múzeum) building
was erected in the 1920s to
a design by Dénes Györgyi,
and is worth seeing in its
own right.
The exhibitions inside
are equally interesting and
include a fascinating look
at life around Lake Balaton
in pre-Roman times. There are
dis plays showing the develop-
ment of fishing on the lake
as well as a more sombre
display explaining the effects
of pollution on life in the
lake. Models of sailing ships,
streamers and paddle boats
that once traversed the lake
are also on view.
There is also a collection
of outstanding Roman stone-
ware from the region and
an origi nal milestone to
Aquincum, a Roman town
69 km (43 miles) fromP Kossuth Utca
Keszthely’s main thoroughfare
was built to allow the Festetics
family easy access from their
castle to the lake. Undoubtedly
the wid est street in the older
part of the town, it is lined
with some fine houses. The
oldest, at No. 22, is the birth-
place of the Hungarian-Jewish
pianist Karl Goldmark. With
its porticos and covered
upper-level loggia, the house
has a Mediterranean feel. Just
behind, in a leafy courtyard,
is Keszthely’s well-preserved
Neo-Renaissance synagogue.
Originally dating from 1780,
it was entirely rebuilt between
1851 and 1852.For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp390–93 and pp394–7
Stained-glass window in the
Franciscan Churchthe patri arch of the Festetics
family and uncle of István
Széchenyi, one of Hungary’s
social and political reformers.
The church was originally
built in Gothic style using
stone taken from an old
Roman settlement nearby.During restoration work in
1974, remains of capti vating
14th- and 15th-century
frescoes were dis covered.
Lost during the Ottoman
occu pation, when the church
served as a fortress and was
connected to Lake Balaton
by a canal, these rep resent
the largest collection of
Gothic frescoes remaining
in Hungary. The fine rose
win dow above the eastern
portal is also an original
14th-cen tury feature.