Siófok
Siófok [ ʃio fok ː ] ( German historical: Fock ) is a city in Hungary on the eastern shore of Lake Balaton in Somogy county, about 120 kilometers southwest of Budapest. The city is just under 25,000 inhabitants, the largest community on the Lake. She has the geographical coordinates 46 ° 54 'North, 18 ° 3' east and lies at an altitude of 124 m.
The name consists of the name of the river Sió and a former village Fok.
Lock
The Sió lock connects via the Sió Channel Lake Balaton and the Danube. The first lock was built already in 1863, there had lowered the water level of the lake due to the construction of the southern railway line. The originating from the 1940s, the main facilities of the port are the water drain facility and ship lock. Still today there a plaque in mind that this was the first lock, which enabled the control of the water level of the lake, is also still in operation.
Traffic
- Railway: Siófok is reachable from Germany, Austria and Switzerland via Budapest.
- Flights: West of the Lake Balaton is the international airport with weekly charter flights in several German cities.
- Roads: Siófok is located off the M7 motorway
History
Is first mentioned in the charter of Siofok Tihany monastery from the year 1055th
The Turks conquered the city, 1552. They built a fortress and a port. At the end of the 17th century was Siófok free royal city.
After the construction of the southern railway line at Lake Balaton (1861 - Southern Railway ), the settlement changed slowly. First Siófok was only used to switch to ships, after the change of the level in 1863 by about 1 to 1.5 m, a harbor was built. Before the switch was held in Szántód.
Only later here is very shallow and sandy beach of the lake became popular. Since that time, Siófok developed by leaps and bounds. End of the 19th century, the central beach were created, built today's bathing quarters and secured the shore.
1950 was connected by a cleanup of Komitatsgrenzen the resort Balatonújhely at Siófok. Siófok became a district town.
Today the city is a famous seaside resort on Lake Balaton. In the adjacent Zamardi place since 2007 in July the annual festival Heineken Balaton Sound instead.
Twinning
- France Saint -Laurent -du -Var, Provence -Alpes- Côte d' Azur, France
- Germany Waldheim, Saxony, Germany
- Germany Landsberg am Lech, Bavaria, Germany
- Finland Oulu, Finland
- Croatia Poreč, Istria, Croatia
- Estonia Pärnu, Estonia
- United States Walnut Creek, United States
- Gheorgheni Romania, Romania
- Israel Netanya, Israel
- Germany Bad Kissingen, Bavaria, Germany
Sons and daughters of the town
- Emmerich Kálmán operetta composer; be furnished as a museum house next to the train station to visit
- Imre Varga (* 1923), the sculptor, painter, designer and graphic artist is considered the greatest living artist of his country; in Budapest Óbuda shows the " Imre Varga Museum " in a permanent exhibition of the artist 's life's work
- Geza Revesz (1878-1955), psychologist
Attractions
The modern Protestant church in the shape of an inverted wooden ship was planning Imre Makovecz. The wood for these throughout zimmermännische design donated Finnish sister city of Oulu. The " Church is a special jewel of Siófok ," the mayor wrote on the City website.
Another landmark of the city is the historic water tower, on the Freedom Square in the city center, with a height of 45 meters, the tallest building in the city, which was opened in 2012 after an extensive reconstruction of the tower and the surrounding area, again.
Next to the tower a modern metal sculpture was named in honor of Count Imre Szechenyi, the great promoter of the region, built.