The surroundings of Siofok was inhabited even in the neolithic period and later, in Roman times, too. In the material of the Scouting Museum (1930) established by István Molnar Roman Catholic chaplaine, one could find even a chipped hyalite collected by him on the location of Safranykert. In his collection there were hatchets, hoes, milling stones and jewels of the neolithic period, too. These objects were classified by Dr. Ferenc Zakonyi, honorary freeman of our town, who was a town-clerk and an outstanding researcher of the local history. (Unfortunately, this collection has been destroyed in the meantime, there are only three photos to witness its exsistence.)

History of Siofok

The surroundings of Siofok was inhabited even in the neolithic period and later, in Roman times, too. In the material of the Scouting Museum (1930) established by Istvan Molnar Roman Catholic chaplaine, one could find even a chipped hyalite collected by him on the location of Safranykert. In his collection there were hatchets, hoes, milling stones and jewels of the neolithic period, too. These objects were classified by Dr. Ferenc Zakonyi, honorary freeman of our town, who was a town-clerk and an outstanding researcher of the local history. (Unfortunately, this collection has been destroyed in the meantime, there are only three photos to witness its exsistence.)The surroundings of Siofok was inhabited even in the neolithic period and later, in Roman times, too. In the material of the Scouting Museum (1930) established by Istvan Molnar Roman Catholic chaplaine, one could find even a chipped hyalite collected by him on the location of Safranykert. In his collection there were hatchets, hoes, milling stones and jewels of the neolithic period, too. These objects were classified by Dr. Ferenc Zakonyi, honorary freeman of our town, who was a town-clerk and an outstanding researcher of the local history. (Unfortunately, this collection has been destroyed in the meantime, there are only three photos to witness its exsistence.)The material from the Copper and the Bronze Age was preserved by Balint Kuzsinszky for the succeeding generations. Sickles, Saw-blades, arms and jewels were found at Kiliti and in Szigeti baulk. In Vadkacsas baulk of Szeplak 110 urn graves were discovered.At the Iron Age -at around 350 B.C.- came Celtic people to this area and it was under their rule that the use of iron got wide-spread. Traces of a Celtic settlement and silver coins were found on the eastern edge of Szigeti baulk, close to the Jewish cemetery. (Dr. Karoly Sagi archeologist, Keszthely).A new chapter started with the Roman occupation in the history of Trans-Danubia. In order to defend the southern military roads, establishing the Province of Pannonia, towns and roads became vitally essential.Roman conquest got to the surroundings of our present town of Siofok in the 1st century A.D. and this is the region where the road from Sopianae (Pecs) lead across Tricciana (Sagvar) to Arrabona (Gyor). According to the notes made by Sectus Aurelius Victor in the turn of the 3rd-4th century Emperor Galerius had a dike built and made some forests cleared in order to drain the moor-land of "Lacus Pelso" -it is the Latin name for Balaton- in 292 A.D. He named the whole region after his wife, Valeria.One can read in the deed of endowment of Tihany dated 1055, after the Hungarian conquest, i.e. in the first Hungarian sporadic literary remains of the language, the following sentence:..."Rivulus namque, qui dicitur Fok fluens"....It means: "The small brook called Fok also springs from the lake mentioned above and is located where people can go across an ancient bridge and a ford, too...."That is to say Fok is not mentioned as a village in the original deed of endowment despite the fact that the word "river" refers to the village. (Dr. Laszlo Erdelyi: Questionable deeds of the Abbey of Tihany, HAS, 1909.)Sources of reference from the 11th-14th centuries mention seven settlements in the surroundings of our present town of Siofok, along Fok, or as it is called today Sio: Holovogy, Losta, Toreki, Kiliti, Fok, Igam and Jod. As to these last two settlements, only their names have remained in the name of some baulks or hills.Based on these descriptions, one can assume that two settlements might be the same: Holovogy estate close to the ford in the ancient times and the village of Fok was settled on the same location later on. The village of Losta was settled on one of the isles of Siofok, along the brook Fok in the Age of the Arpads.The name of the village Fok appears among the tax-paying settlements first in 1137, while the compound word of Siofok has been known since 1790.After the devastations caused by the Mongols Fok was reconstructed and a parish was also established there. Its church was consecrated to Peter and Paul. Until the Turkish conquest it was the district seat of the archdeacon.In 1541 the Turkish invadors kept moving forward and after having seized Szigetvar they reached Lake Balaton. In 1552 Veszprem was also occupied and Fok along with its surroundings got also taken up. Siofok was turned into a naval port and a fortification was erected here. Besides the commandant of town two "aghas of the navy" were also resided here. The Turkish fortification was established near the present hospital on the "Hill of Granarium". (According to unwritten tradition, not approved by archeology.)The country-side was liberated from the Turkish yoke in 1688. Fok got into the possession of the collegiate church who installed settlers there and in 1693 had a wooden church built for the inhabitants.During Rakoczi's fight for freedom Bottyan the Blind's famous Sio-line stretched here and the final headstone was the fortification of Siofok. The fortification was constructed on the location of the fromer Turkish fortification, according to the French staff engineer, De la Reviere's project.In 1705 Ferenc Rakoczi II donated the village of Fok a seal serving today as a basis for the present coat of arm.In 1709, after Bottyan's death the "labanc" armies (nickname of pro-Austrian soldiers during the 18th century Hungarian wars of independence) managed to capture the settlement.In 1717, in a contract concluded with the collegiate church of Veszprem, the inhabitants of Fok managed to get the lease-holder status.The parish church of Baroque style consacrated to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin was erected in 1736.In the course of the 18th century before the blotting paper came into general use, the fine sand of the shore at Siofok had been used as writing-sand. Piling up fine quicksand was the occupation of young girls and wives of Siofok.The settlement started to develop as of the years of the 1800s. The Transylvania-Adria speed mail coach reached Siofok as of 1810. (Note: since 1867 an independent post-office administration and since 1946 a state post-office has been operating at Siofok). The 19th century was an important period in the regulation of water-ways. In 1810 Joseph, the palatine of Hungary appointed Joseph Beszedes to accomplish the works of regulating the water-ways of Sarviz. The works of Sio Water-system completed between 1810-1825 on the southern shore of Lake Balaton are as follows:1. The mill of Fok was pulled down (It burnt down in 1812 and it was not restored any more.)2. Sio bed was cleaned out.3. The mills were adjusted.4. the water-level of Lake Balaton fell one metre thus 51.000 acres of dry land were gained.5. By regulating Sio brook 6.000 acres of dry land were gained.The epidemy of cholera hit the settlement in 1831.In 1842 the Association for the Regulation of the Balaton Water was established which buyed and pulled down the mill and dam of Kiliti, being the biggest obstacles to water regulation. By the falling water level another 6.000 acres were gained.In the life of the settlement an important change was brought by the foundation of the Steamboating Incorporation of Balaton under the life presidence of Earl Szechenyi in compliance with the rules of association made by Lajos Kossuth in 1846. The paddle-steamer named Kisfaludy was launched on water on September 21. Adam Clark and Jozsef Beszedes took part at the ceremony among others.In the 1850s the area of Siofok having belonged to Somogy County, got annexed to Veszprem. The border was split by Sio brook.