Balatonkenese is a town in Veszprém County , in the Balatonalmádi District .

Balatonkenese to Balaton is located in the northeast corner of Budapest approx. 100 km southwest of Kenesei Highlands . It has a special location among the settlements on Lake Balaton, as it is the only settlement on the shores of Lake Balaton outside Balatonakarattya that is not really on the southern or northern shores.

Tourist significance 

The settlement developed together with the development of the Lake Balaton region, mostly due to the renovated beaches and the numerous resorts. Today, only a few of the former state-owned resorts have survived, some of them have been transformed into hotels, and smaller resorts have been privatized. Several marinas were built on the Kenese coastline and the boat station was renovated . The Eastern Gate of Lake Balaton Tourist Association has been performing the tourist destination of the settlement since 2007 and operates the local tourinform office.

Major local events

The Blue Ribbon Sailing Competition has been held every year since July 27, 1934 . The 1st buoy of the oldest and longest lake sailing competition in Europe is located in Balatonkenese, below the Partfő, 500 meters from the pier of the port. From the Partfő and the Soós Lookout Tower there is an excellent view of the competitors who get around the buoy, who turn to Keszthely after the buoy. The beginnings of sailing on Lake Balaton are also connected to the Balatonfüred-Balatonkenese distance. István Széchenyi also started the Kisfaludy steamer on March 29, 1847.Letcho festival

Balatonkenese hosts Hungary’s first national letcho festival, which has been held every year since its foundation in 2005, usually at the end of August.Balaton Festival

From the summer of 2017, the Balaton Gastro Festival will be held in Balatonkenese. The first festival ran from June 29 to July 2, 2017: on the first day, hip-hop bands performed – Sub Bass Monster , Animal Cannibals , Akkezdet Phiai . On the second day, the 30th, on Friday, indie pop and rock music performers – Queen’s Land, Firkin, Lord, Reckless Roses – contributed, on the third day the main performers were the Groovehouse, UFO and Kozmix, and on the fourth day the Shadow Country , Mokka Tribute, Republic and Balkan Fanatik played.Bream Chewing Days

Launched in the summer of 2019, the event strengthened the program offerings for the July-August weekends. Fish cooking competition and ensemble performances.Balatonman KeneseMárkus Ágnes at the finish

Points of interest 

Memorial column of Lajos Soós in Balatonkenese

• It is home to one of a small number of European habitats on its highly protected Tator , which thrives in May .
• Soós Hill , which got its name from the poet Lajos Soós . There is a lookout on the hill and the Tartar lakes open on the side of the hill .
• Kossuth statue , erected as the second in the country
• The country house, its collection includes ethnographic monuments, economic tools, as well as documents of the Kossuth Committee of Kenese, publications related to the city, as well as memorabilia of Lajos Soós, a local poet and other famous people. The Village Museum became the Country House of the Year in Hungary in 2011 .
• Parragh Garden: 3.5 acre plant park , arboretum
• Lajos Soós Memorial Column: At the highest point of the loess bank stands a red stone carved in 1927 in honor of the local poet Lajos Soós (1856-1902).
• On October 18, 1846, the first boat on Lake Balaton, Kisfaludy, ended its first voyage between Balatonfüred and Kenese in today’s Széchenyi Park. István Széchenyi, who arrived in Kenesé on the ship, inaugurated the wooden port designed by Ádám Clark.

Cultural institutions

• Country house
• House of Culture
• Library

Image gallery