MaNDAHungarian National Digital Archive

The reputation of Balatonfüred is mainly due to its climate and its carbonated springs, but we cannot forget about celebrities on holiday here, who have also contributed to its fame. Find out more about the built environment of the Balaton Riviera in our latest selection.

The eosin-glazed ceramics of Vilmos Zsolnay earned him immortal merit in the handicraft industry, but our country has also benefitted from this fame. The history of the Zsolnay factory began in the 1850s, when Ignác Zsolnay founded his small ceramics manufacture. After a few years, the leadership was taken over by Vilmos, who quickly transformed it into a high-quality factory. The history of the factory, as is usual in our country, is also a family history, so our selection not only tells the story of the Zsolnay factory and the world-famous tiles, but also the story of the family members.

Szováta lies in a beautiful forest setting. In just 150 years, the small village has become a world-famous holiday resort and the central town of the Transylvanian Salt Country, thanks to its natural salt lakes. The largest of these is the Lake Ursu, situated in the valley floor. It is the largest in the world and the only heliothermal lake in Europe. In our latest article, we take a look at the spa culture of Lake Ursu (Bear Lake) in Szováta.

The organ is the largest and most complicated instrument, with a centuries-old tradition of construction, and the most famous Hungarian organ-building company was founded by the son of a village farmer, József Angster. Born on 7 July 1834, 190 years ago, in our latest selection we pay tribute to him.

Sikonda is administratively part of Komló, and like almost everything else in Komló, the history of the spa in Sikonda is linked to the mining industry. It was during the exploration for coal that lead to the discovery of the 38-degree thermal spring, which was later declared a spa. Thanks to this, Sikonda became an important tourist destination within a few years.