It is located at the southern tip of lake Balaton and boasts a history of more than 750 years. As such the town is endowed with a wide range of architectural gems displaying Gothic, baroque, Transylvanian and eclectic styles. The town is compact and may be easily explored on foot. A small tourist train also circulates the town which is a convenient and cheap way to familiarise oneself with its layout.
Festetics Palace
The reception wing of the palace is now used as a conference centre and a meeting place for scientific and international conferences. Participants may be accommodated in the 15 quest rooms and 4 suites within the palace. During summer, concerts are held weekly in the grounds
The Festetics were one of the richest aristocratic families in Hungary and had a considerable influence on the development and culture of Keszthely and the surrounding areas. Family members founded pharmacies, hospitals, Grammar schools and in 1779 Count Gyorgy Festetics founded “The Georgikon”, which was Europe’s first Independent Institution of agricultural higher education. It was established with an 11-hectare dendrological garden. Its successor “The Georgikon Faculty of Agronomy”, now functions within the local university on the corner of Deak Ferenc and Szechenyl streets.
A nice feature within the town is the Helikon environmental park, which sits between the town and the lake foreshores. It is prevented from reaching the lake by the railway to Topolca. Across the railway beside Csik Ferenc setany are to be found a large number of outdoor cafes and restaurants much frequented by students from the nearby university. A popular snack served at these cafes is the famous Hungarian Langos, a deep fried potato pancake topped with either garlic dressing or cheese or both. On summer evenings the area is alive with people eating Langos and drinking beer.
The centre of Keszthely is a large square alongside Kossuth Lajos Utica. This square contains two major buildings. The Gothic parish church, built on the site of a former 12th-13th century church by Palatine Istevan Lackfi. Renovations at the end of the 19th century gave the church its neo-gothic tower and rose windows. In 1974 a number of sensational 15th century frescoes were discovered in the sacristy.
At the southern end of this square stands the Gymnasium built at the turn of the last century and now housing the successor to the grammar school founded by Count Pal Festetics in 1772. The section of Kossuth Lajos Utica leading from the square to the palace of the Festetics is now a pedestrian mall were one can find a number of fine restaurants which, in season, serve large numbers of alfresco diners.
To the west of the central square is the marketplace set around Piac square. On Saturdays and Wednesdays the square and some surrounding streets fill with market vendor stalls selling a wide variety of wares. Flowers, fruit, vegetables, and of course paprika are available in abundance together with tools, clothes and other paraphernalia. In the spring Cherries and Walnuts are a great buy.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Keszthely
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Keszthely - updated May 2024
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Keszthely Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
