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Siófok |
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SIÓFOK , 6km down the shore from Balatonvilágos, is the largest,
busiest and most vibrant resort on Balaton: crammed with bars and
restaurants, it has long been the choice venue for young party-goers and
was the first to introduce strip bars and sex clubs to augment the
traditional pleasures of boozing, guzzling, sunbathing and dancing.
Though its vitality might appeal for a while, you'll probably find that
a day or two here will suffice - and finding accommodation can be tough.
The town and beaches
The bustling centre of town lies east of the Sió Canal that flows into
Balaton, ten minutes' walk from the shoreline, where you'll find the bus
and train stations, tourist offices, shops and discos. There are two
waterfront resort areas: Aranypart (Gold Shore) to the east of the
canal, and Ezüstpart (Silver Shore) to the west. Though the central
stretch of shoreline consists of paying beaches (daily 7am-7pm; 350Ft),
there are free strand 1km further along at both resort areas. Having
larger hotels and more nightlife in the vicinity, Aranypart is the
livelier and noisier of the two. You can rent windsurfing boards and
small sailing boats at most beaches, while horse-riding and pleasure
cruises can be arranged through Siótour.
With its high-rise hotels and packed beaches, there's little trace of
Siófok's prewar reputation as a quietly elegant resort, nor much
evidence of the town's long history. The canal that the Romans began in
292 AD was later made use of by the Turks, who stationed a fleet of
10,000 men here to confront the Austro-Hungarian fleet across the water
at Balatonfüred. A small gallery at the top of the 45-metre-high water
tower on Szabadság tér displays photos of Siófok a century ago and
offers a view of the town today, though you have to climb over 120 steps
to get there (same hours as Tourinform; 100Ft). The streets between the
train station and the shore are an enjoyable place to wander around,
with avenues of plane trees screening some magnificent turn-of-the-century
villas , many of them turned into garishly decorated restaurants or
pensions, or, in the case of the one at Batthány utca 22, an Aquarium (daily:
June-Aug 10am-9pm; Sept-May 10am-6pm; 500Ft), which houses some
colourful marine-life, although most people come for the daily shark
shows.
It seems somehow appropriate that the most famous son of Siófok was the
composer of operettas Imre Kálmán (1882-1953), who was born in a house
near the train station at what is now Kálmán Imre sétány 5, where
there's a museum (Tues-Sun 9am-5pm; 200Ft) featuring his piano, desk and
dressing gown, as well as photos and programmes from operettas such as
the Countess Maritza and the Csárdás Princess , unfortunately without
any explanations in English.
From the station, you can walk east along Fo utca for ten minutes to
reach the striking modern Lutheran Church (May-Sept daily 9am-noon &
3-7pm; Oct-April Sun only 11am-noon), designed by the visionary
architect Imre Makovecz. It not only embodies his ideas about organic
architecture and nationhood, but constitutes a rebuke to the immorality
and materialism of Siófok - or at least that's assumed to be the
significance of the hollow-eyed face of an old man carved into the
wooden facade. The points of the roof are meant to be the shoulders of
his sheepskin coat.
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