Badacsony Landscape Protection Area and sights of Badacsony

Intense basalt mining activities from the early 20th century scarred this magnificent landscape which was designated a protected area only from 1965. It is now part of the Balaton Uplands National Park.

The landscape protection area is famous for its volcanic remnant hills. Amongst them the most well known is the coffin-shaped Badacsony (374 m); others are the Gulács (393 m), the Csobánc (376 m), and Saint George Hill (Szent György-hegy, 415 m).

The Badacony's geologic rarities are the lithified lava columns in its side called 'basalt organ pipes'. Geo-botanical nature trails provide interesting details on the natural assets of this landscape.

Sight of Badacsony

Rose Stone

Along the road leading up to the hill stands the huge basalt block called the Rose Stone. According to legend if a young couple in love sits on it, they will get engaged in the same year.

Róza Szegedy Museum

The ground floor houses a display of the tools and containers of the grape harvest and wine cellars. The belongings, works and other memorabilia of Róza Szegedy's husband, the poet Sándor Kisfaludy, can be viewed upstairs.

The vintager's dwelling presents the exhibition entitled Balaton Almanac which consists of the manuscripts of Balaton-inspired poems by famous poets, mostly written in 1967. Among others, the collection features poems by Lajos Kassák, János Pilinszky, Dezső Tandori and György Faludy. The spiritual delicacies of this intimate little exhibition in the vineyardist's dwelling complement the beautiful Lake Balaton view of Tihany and Keszthely from the porch of the museum.

Since 1999, the programme of the museum has been enriched by occasional events recalling the first half of the 19th century: drinking songs are sung and there is dancing on the lawn in front of the house. The upstairs rooms host lectures about the period. The exhibition has also been extended: the display of the utensils of viticulture is enriched by recipes for 'ürmös' (a seasoned wine traditionally made in Badacsony) and poems extolling the virtues of good wine.

Páholy Lookout

Pass Rose Stone (Rózsakő), the large basalt boulder on the side of Badacsony Hill, to reach the lookout with its fantastic view over the neighbouring hills. Its name 'Páholy' meaning theatre box in Hungarian indicates that the panorama from here is truly exquisite.

József Egry Memorial Museum

The house of the great painter József Egry who immortalised Lake Balaton and Badacsony so often is today a memorial museum. The development in Egry's style of landscape painting can be traced from the first painting of the Lake Balaton of 1916.

The museum was created from the painter's humble house to which the building of the adjacent gallery was added. The cramped 30-square metre area was once simultaneously a kitchen, a living space, a villa for the family and a puritan studio for the painter.

Today it is home to the exhibition about the painter's life. Visitors can observe the changes in the way he painted landscapes, how over time his colours gradually became lighter starting from the first pictures of Lake Balaton from 1916 to the 'Fishermen on Balaton' from 1923, a fine example depicting the noble unity of both water and figures, and nature and man.

The pantheist harmony which shines through his painting from the 1920-30's and marks his mature period can be observed on his main works placed in the two-storey gallery attached to the original building: Man with donkey (Szamaras ember), St Christopher at the Lake Balaton (Szent Kristóf a Balatonnál), View over Fonyód (Kilátás Fonyód felé), and other luminous pictures of Lake Balaton.

His art is closest to the expressive post-Nagybánya school of landscape art which is itself a chapter in Hungarian painting.

Accommodation in Badacsony:

http://www.hungaryrooms.com/hotels/Badacsony/

Map of Badacsony:

http://www.hungaryrooms.com/map/Badacsony/