Keszthely and its history

Keszthely is an antique town located on the Hungarian region of Balaton, on the shore of the Lake of same name. This destination counts with several antique constructions as well as beautiful landscapes, and is a great choice for all those tourists who wish to go to Balaton during their vacation in Hungary.

The town of Keszthely has an area of approximately 76 km2 and a population of about 22,000 inhabitants, with a density of around 285 inhabitants per km2. Due to its located on the bank of the Balaton Lake and its antique age, this town offers a variety of natural and attractive sights, and is a perfect choice for all those tourists who are looking for a destination in which they can relax and breathe fresh air while meeting interesting spots.

According to historians and archaeologists, Keszthely has been inhabited since as long ago as the Roman times. Despite of this, this town does not appear mentioned in any documents until the 13th century, and there is not much information about its life as a town until around the year 1420, when it was defined as a market town.

Keszthely has a variety of interesting antique constructions and spots. One of the most interesting antique constructions tourists could find in this town is the Festetics Castle or Festetics Palace, built in the year 1745. This castle was built for the Festetics family, who were founders of the Agricultural University of Keszthely, also known as Gerogikon. This Agricultural University was the first of its kind constructed in all Europe and for an important amount of time would attract students from the entire country and from other origins as well.

Other interesting attraction tourists should not miss in the town of Keszthely is the Balaton Museum. In the Balaton Museum visitors would find a variety of objects as well as information about the archeology, ethnography and zoology of this region of Hungary. Besides this, tourists should also try to visit the Square of Fo Ter, the Church of Our Lady of the Hungarians, the Marzipan Museum, and the Helikon Library, among others.

Map of Keszthely in Hungary