See the sights of our town, Siófok

Millennium park:  In the nineties of the XXth century the scenic site resting place was moulded in front of the railway station. The park was planned by Dr. Imre Jambor professor of the department of horticole. Nowadays it is the visiting card of the town.

At this place of the administrative town centre where the railway and the bus station runs, as well as the busy main street hides quietly this tiny oasis of nature. The park virtually keeps inviting to forget the worries of life, everyday rush. Have a rest at the fountain in the shade. Siofok is the birthplace of the of the famous Hungarian composer Imre Kalman. Therefore from the central place of the park we can get to the music pavilon where the sculptor Imre Varga's sculptore of Imre Kalman can be found. Here in the park, creating a tradition, musical evenings are organized.

<!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->After a short semicircle we find us in the Main Street. The red brick building on the other side of the street is the central post-office and behind the post-office in the Szecshenyi Street the synagogue can be found. The Roman Catholic Church is one of the oldest buildings in the town, which has been built in neo-roman style in 1903.

Above its entrance door work of the international-famed painter-artist Endre Muzsinszki­Nagy (1886-1975) is visible. Neoclassic station paintings of the church were painted by Bela Buky (1928), while the triumphal arch, in the middle of which Patrona Hungariae is enthroned and receives homage of the Hungarian saints, is made fascinating by paintings of Gyorgy Leszkovszky (1938). Stained glasses of the church have been made in workshop of Miksa Roth. Based on dispositions of the IInd Council of the Vatican sanctuary of the building has been rebuilt in 1980 according to scene designs of Gyorgy Osztie. The pastoforium is work of a Tyrolean master of the XVIIth century, the bearded, thorn crowned Christ inclining his head to the right.

<!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->Largest organ of the whole-Balaton region is to be found also in the church. The instrument was constructed by Frigyes Paulus organ-builder master according to drawings of Sandor Fabian cantor.

In the church organ concerts are organized every summer with appearance of well-known home and foreign artists.

In the centre of Siofok on the Szabadsag Square (Szabadsag tér) the 45m high tower rises, which is one of the characteristic buildings of the town. At present the Tourinform office can be found there. In summer you can step up to the balcony where a magnificent landscape of the town unfolds itself before us. On the square you can find the Martyrs and memorial monument of World War I., which is the work of Karoly Szekely.

Fo utca -> Kalman udvar ->Kalman setany

Near Main Square (Fő tere).the Liberty Square (Szabadsag tér) can be found. Among other things the Culture Centre of the South Region of Lake Balaton (DBKK), the library of the city, the Town Hall, several small shops, private services and offices can be found there. As in an open-air museum the gallery of the sculptor Imre Varga's works can be found on the square.

On the Main Square (Fő ter) festivals, spectacular programs, folclore appearances, concerts are held frequently. Siófok first of all is a holiday resort and that's why the motto of the town is that all things must be convenient and give the impression of convenience. Here everything is near to one another and can be reached quickly.

Coming back to the Liberty Square from the Main Square, turning back into a small street we reached the Kálmán Quadrangle Yard. The shop assistants of the pleasant inner yard keeps inviting the visitors with smiling eyes to buy trifles, which make them think to Siófok, Lake Balaton or even to Hungary. All possible manufactures of the local craftsmen are displayed, earthenware souvenirs, trifles made of leather and hand-made embroideries. None of them let you go impassively. From one small shop to another one we find us imperceptidly at the city centre the Kálmán Promenade.

But before we get lost in the drift of shopping pay attention to a two-storeyed yellow building, which is the birthplace of Imre Kálmán. The composer was born and grew up here. At present a museum is sacred at the memory of him. The Kálmán Promenade is a real cavalcade. Passing along the small shops we are coming to the Sió Canal.

Martirok utja -> Jokai park -> Molo

We turn into Mártírok Street, have a rest at the meeting point of the Main Street (Fő utca) and Mártírok Street at the fountain of 'On the Beach'. The long row of small shops symbolically makes us think .that Siófok is entirely a holiday resort next to Lake Balaton. All arrivals must see the shore of the lake. We are also making for it.

<!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->Cross the railway line. There are lots of people seeking for softening under the cool leafy boughs and shady trees. Left on the bank of Sió Canal behind a small park do we find the building of the school of music. In front of the building of the school the statue of the world famous Hungarian composer and reformer Béla Bartók can be seen. Turning left the Batthyány Street starts, which is one of the oldest parts of the holiday resort of the town. In the course of our walk we are coming back to this place to stare at the old row of villas but meanwhile we are walking on the pathes of Jókai Park. We often meet squirrels here.

Here we arrived at the shore of Lake Balaton. The Sió Canal derives from here. It links the Balaton with the Danube. The first lock-gate vas built in 1863, which submerged the water level because of the southern railway building. The port has got 2 important engineering establishments: the sluicide and the lock. Both of them were built in the 1940s. Here a memorial tablet brings it to our mind that the first allowing regulation of water level of the lake was made by the lock and also the exact regulation of water level has been realised at this place. The first passenger boat dated back to 21st September 1846. On that day the paddle-steamer named Kisfaludy vas launched on water. Nowadays scheduled and pleasure boats put forth. The rentable pleasure boats and the night disco boats are especially popular. The monument erected to 100 th, 125 th, and 150 th anniversary of steamboating of the Balaton stands in the park in front of the building of the port. On the western part of the port the 2 recent sights of the town, the port of the sailing boats and the Yacht Club are located, as well as the Meteorological Observatory, which gives the 1 st storm signal for the whole Balaton region. Yard of the station is decorated by Miklós Borsos `s statue titled "Urania".

<!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->Rozsa-liget -> Petofi setany -> Evangelikus templom

Rozsa-liget. The Rose Garden can be seen next too the shore of lake Balaton. Flower beds end the variety of rose-bushes, shade given by the gigantic might plane-trees, the humid catching of the lake creates some kind of paradise atmosphere. The cross-Balaton-swimming is an event, which attracts masses of people. Every year the ambitious people can try their strength in swimming from the North to the South shore. In the Rose garden the city put up a statue to Kálmán Szekrényessy the first man who swam cross the lake. Besides this in the park there are some interesting statues: the statue of Tibor Vilt, title: Mermaid of Lake Balaton (Balatoni sello)(1974), Fishermen (Halaszok)(1998), statues of József Somogyi, Frigyes Karinthy, Tamás Varga.

"Coca-Cola Beach House". The end of the Rose Garden starts the private beach of the town in its capacity as the Coca-Cola Beach House for years. Thousands of tourists come to our town to have a good time here. The variety of gambling machines, places of amusement, rentable vehicles, cafes and bars, open-air entertaining programs attract thousands of tourists. In the evenings discos, bars with live music or even concerts of famous groups can be seen on the beach of " Coca-Cola Beach House".

The street in front of the private beach of the town is the Petőfi Promenade. Bars, restaurants, pizzerias, small shops, cafes, travel agencies, fun-fairs, gambling machines, hotel chain complexes these all are the Petőfi Promenade.

Turn into Karinthy Frigyes Street from the Petőfi Promenade. A beige towered building deserves attention, which is the building of the library of the Kodolány College.

If we are talking about beautiful villas we must walk into Batthyany Street where there are dozens of various wonderful villas.

Walking slowly among the villas in Batthyany Street we reach the Kinizsi Street where turning left we get to Main Street again. Oulu park is nearly opened in front of us. The new evangelic church designed by Imre Makovecz Ybl Prize winner architect can be found in the Oulu park. (Oulu is Finnish sister town of Siófok.) This Four-portal, upward-orientated building that holds 120 people and has wooden structure in 80% is the most beautiful and modern evangelic church not only of the town but of the country.

On the other side of the street can be find the building, which was between 1944 and 1993 the congregation house of the evangelical church of Siófok. In this house took place worships and Bible lessons and it was the meeting point of east and west germans, who at home couldn’t meet through the political block. 

The primary direction points of the town: the Water Tower and the Roman Catholic Church are standing in front of us again. We came back to the railway and bus station, as well as to the Millennium Park.