Page 156 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Hungary

154  HUNGAR Y REGION B Y REGION NOR THERN TR ANSD ANUBIA  155

though all offer a variety of major attractions. While it is 6 Pápa
places to stay. Agárd is the possible with the naked eye 51 km (32 miles) northwest of Vesz­
most developed, and has an to make out the shapes of prém. Road Map B3. * 34,000.
excellent thermal bath com plex. houses, the theatre and the £ from Budapest, Tatabánya, Győr.
Most non-Hungarian visitors forum, the guidebook available @ from Tatabánya, Veszprém. n
to Velence head for the western from the ticket office is a must Tourinform, Márton István utca 10, (89)
shore. More than 30,000 birds to understand how it all worked. 77 70 47. ∑ papa.hu
spend the spring here, nesting Digs continue: unearthed
in the marshes and reeds. treasure (including pottery, An important fortified town first
Species to be spotted include coins, masonry and weaponry) mentioned in 1051, Pápa was held
spoonbills, herons and geese. is displayed in a small museum by the Turks from 1594 to 1683. It
Since 1958 the lake has been by the entrance. There are Greek fell into decline after being razed
a protected bird reserve. The and Roman plays and other by fire in 1685. In the 18th century
Tourinform office in Gárdony can performances held as part of Façade of the Zirc Cistercian Abbey, home it was rebuilt and found new pur­
put birdwatchers in touch with the ancient Floralia and Ludi to the Reguly Antal Library pose in 24 watermills driven by the
Brunswick Mansion in Martonvásár, housing a small Beethoven Museum local tour groups and guides. Romani festivals. Details are Tapolca river. The mills served
1 Martonvásár 2 Lake Velence available from the Tourinform from 1750. The altar paintings the corn, textile and paper
and frescoes inside are the work
industries of the region. Pápa’s
office in Székesfehérvár.
30 km (19 miles) southwest of 50 km (31 miles) southwest of 3 Székesfehérvár of Franz Anton Maul bertsch. two most important sights stem
Budapest. Road Map C3. * 5,500. Budapest. Road Map C4. £ from See pp156–9. T Gorsium Open-Air Museum The most visited part of the from this boom period.
£ from Budapest. @ from Budapest to Velence or Gárdony. Fő utca 6, Tác. Tel (22) 31 55 83. abbey, however, is its Reguly The Esterházy Palace
Budapest. @ from Budapest to Velence or Open Apr–Oct: 10am–6pm daily; Antal Library, complete with (Esterházy Kastély), on Fő tér,
Gárdony. n Tourinform, Szabadság 4 Tác Nov–Mar: 10am–4pm daily. & 7 80,000 volumes kept on lush, was constructed in 1783–4 by
The village of Martonvásár has út 24, Gárdony, (22) 57 00 77; Halász cherrywood bookshelves. József Grossmann for Count
existed since medieval times, utca 37, Velence, (22) 47 03 02. 11 km (7 miles) south of Székes fe- The abbey is also home Ferenc. Baroque in style, it was
but its principal attraction is hérvár. Road Map C4. * 1,500. to the Bakony Natural History badly damaged in World War II
Brunswick Mansion. Towards Velence means “Venice” in @ from Székesfehérvár. _ Floralia Museum, with exhibitions and neglected under the
the end of the 18th century, the Hungarian, although there Festival (late Apr–early May), Ludi on the flora and fauna of Communists. Guided tours take
entire village was bought by the similarities end. Romani Festival (mid-Aug–mid-Sep). the Bakony hills and forest. visitors through the renovated
the German Bruns wick family, A shallow body of In the town of Zirc itself is an baroque rooms and halls.
and the original Baroque water with no islands, On a vast site a 10-minute walk extensive arboretum, with more The giant Great Church of
palace was built Lake Velence is popular outside the tiny village of Tác than 60 kinds of trees and shrubs, St Stephen, built in 1774–86
for Antal Brunswick. with day-trippers from are the impressive remains of including an over 400­ year­old to designs by Jakab Fellner,
A century later, Budapest. It is less the Roman city of Herculia. oak tree. The Reguly Antal dominates everything.
in 1875, it was crowded than Uncovered during excavation Museum, a small but interesting After Fellner’s death, József
totally rebuilt, Lake Balaton, work in 1934–9, Herculia began exhibition, is dedicated to the Gross mann completed the
this time in the attracting mainly life in the 1st century AD as a life of the early 20th­century work. The statue above the
Neo-Gothic style. anglers and swim- military base called Gorsium, pioneer in Finno­Ugric gable and the frescoes inside
While the house mers, the latter growing in size and importance linguistics and explorer. feature St Stephen the Martyr.
is closed to the Piano in the Beethoven enjoying the to become the capital of the
public, the superb Memorial Museum warm water (up to province of Valeria (Lower Excavated Roman ruins, at the Gorsium R Zirc Cistercian Abbey P Esterházy Palace
parklands can 26° C/80° F in high Pannonia) by the 3rd century. Open-Air Museum in Tác Rákóczi tér 1. Tel (88) 59 36 75. Fő tér 1. Open Apr–Oct: 10am–6pm
be enjoyed by visitors. summer). Three small beach Set up as the Gorsium Open 9am–5pm Tue–Sun. & 8 Tue–Sun; Nov–Mar: 9am–5pm Tue–
The estate’s church, built in resorts on the eastern shore, Open-Air Museum (Gorsium 5 Zirc ∑ zirciapatsag.hu Sun. ∑ esterhazykastely.papa.hu
1775, is largely unaltered. Its Velence, Gárdony and Agárd, Szabadtéri Múzeum in Régé szeti
inter ior is decorated with more or less blend into each Park) since 1962, the site is well 51 km (32 miles) northwest of
well- preserved frescoes. other. None has any great charm, cared for though lacking in Veszprém. Road Map B3. * 7,500.
Ludwig van Beethoven was £ from Veszprém, Győr. @ from
a regular visitor to the original Veszprém. n Tourinform, József Attila
mansion and gave music les- utca 1, (88) 41 68 16.
sons to the daughters. Some
rooms adjoining the mansion The small town of Zirc, on the
now house a small Beet hoven northern fringes of the Bakony
Memorial Museum (Beet hoven Forest (see pp160–61) is
Emlék múzeum). dominated by its Cister cian
Abbey (Római katolikus
P Brunswick Mansion cisztercita templom, Nagy­
Brunszvick utca 2. Open (park only) boldo gasszony). Standing on
8am–5pm daily (to 4pm winter). a hill above the town, at an
& 7 altitude of 400 m (1,312 ft), the
E Beethoven Memorial Museum abbey was founded as early
Brunszvick utca 2. Tel (22) 56 95 00. as 1182, although the current
Open 10am–noon, 2–4pm Tue–Fri, complex (including the twin­
10am–noon, 1–4pm Sat & Sun. & 7 The mooring jetties on Lake Velence, popular with visitors from Budapest spired Baroque basilica) dates Statue of a lion outside the Esterházy Palace in Pápa
For hotels and restaurants see pp264–269 and pp276–285

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