Szigliget

With its more than seven hundred year old castle and lovely village, Szigliget is a well-known place in the northern part of Lake Balaton. There is a marvellous view of the lake and the uplands from the castle which stands on top of the steep hills ascending from the lakeside. The small village, under the fortification, represents what folk architecture used to be like.

As it can be seen from the name of the settlement, it was built on an island, but with the decrease of the water level the island became a peninsula.

The area has been inhabited for a thousand years, the proof for which is the finds from the Stone and Bronze Age. The oldest architectural sight, the Csonka Tower, is situated above the port. This tower of the Avas Church, which has survived from the Árpád era, can also be visited.

The castle was built by the Abbey of Pannonhalma in 1262. Later it became the property of the king and then of the Tóti-Lengyel family in 1521. It remained theirs for several centuries. Due to its fortunate location the Turks were not able to capture the castle - not even with repeated sieges. But they managed to ravage the surrounding settlements. In these times Szigliget was one of the most important segments of the border castle system of this area. The port was the base for the Hungarian navy (‘sajkások’). Eventually, like all the other Hungarian castles, Szigliget was destroyed in 1702 on orders from Leopold I of Hapsburg.

The village, under the fortification, has retained its characteristic structure. The houses are built in a semi-circle shape above each other. The inner part of the old village is protected in its entirety.

Two of the thatched houses are highly remarkable. These are the Baroque building of the stately Tóti-Lengyel mansion and the neo-Classicist Esterházy Castle in the centre of the settlement. This latter building now serves as the House of Creation, a house where writers can work. The House is surrounded by a protected park of around 6 hectares belonging to the castle. Trees older than a hundred years and 150 different species of pine trees can be found in the park.

Pageants and equestrian tournaments are organised in the castles every summer. The setting is perfect to recapture the flavour of the period. Furthermore, the most important cultural event of Szigliget is arranged in the first weeks of August, the Summer Festival of Szigliget. To maintain the cheerful atmosphere during the autumn there are two further events, the Harvest Festival and the Süllő Festival. So Szigliget is a perfect destination both for the summer and the autumn.