Hungary

Balaton Uplands Cultural Landscape

WHS Score 0.44
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  • Alex Marcean
  • Argo
  • Astraftis
  • David Berlanda
  • Martina Rúčková
  • nan
  • SaoDies
  • Squiffy
  • Wojciech Fedoruk

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  • Bropyk
  • Csaba Nováczky
  • George Gdanski
  • GeorgeIng61
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Balaton Uplands Cultural Landscape comprises a hilly landscape of volcanic origin that has been exploited since the Middle Ages. The lands are used for viticulture. A variety of volcanic features can be seen, such as a basalt organ (Saint George Hill) and the stone seas of the Káli Basin. The proposed area lies on the north coast of Lake Balaton.

Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Balaton Uplands Cultural Landscape (ID: 6269)
Country
Hungary
Status
On tentative list 2017 Site history
History of Balaton Uplands Cultural Landscape
2017: Added to Tentative List
Added to tentative list
Criteria
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org

Community Reviews

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First published: 06/05/21.

Squiffy

Balaton Uplands Cultural Landscape

Balaton Uplands Cultural Landscape (On tentative list)

Balaton Uplands Cultural Landscape by Squiffy

A cool September breeze riffled the branches of the fringing trees as I swam out into Lake Héviz. It was definitely better to be in the water than out on the manicured grass. 38 metres below the centre of the lake hot thermal water gushed forth from a fissure, meaning that the lake was roughly the temperature of a municipal swimming pool. And much like a swimming pool, I was not alone. Around me people swam, floated or just splashed in the shallows. And to my right, patients in white towelling robes sat out on the decking of the spire-roofed spa that projected out into the lake on piles like a British seaside pier. However no municipal pool I’ve ever visited has required me to periodically untangle my feet from water lilies or strings of algae.

It sometimes feels that there is a European UNESCO World Heritage ‘starter pack’: baroque palace, vineyard landscape, gothic cathedral, beech forest, Roman ditch. Plus, coming soon, spa resort. Hungary’s Balaton Uplands Cultural Landscape tentative site manages to tick off a number of these in one go. Baroque palace? Yep, that’s the Festetics Palace in Keszthely. Vineyard landscape? Yep, plenty of references to viticulture shaping the landscape. Spa resort? Yes, two bookend the site, Héviz to the west and Balatonfüred to the east.

Lake Balaton is hard to miss on any map of Europe. At 77km (48 miles) long it is the largest European lake outside outside of Scandinavia. It stetches southwest to …

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