Shore of Lake Balaton, harbour - Balatonfüred, Hungary

Location:

GPS coordinates: Latitude 46°57'12", Longitude 17°53'37" (N46 57.2 - E17 53.62) Map

Yacht marina with the yellow building of the reputable "Vitorlás" restaurant

The Stefánia Yacht Association (from 1912 Stefánia Yacht Club) was the first sailing association in Hungary, it was established in 1884, founded by the famous English shipbuilder Richard Young who lived in Hungary between the 1870s and 1888. The first sailboat from the workshop of Young was constructed in 1880 and named as "SENTA". This was followed by many other boats, which after some time infested the entire Balaton Lake. Today the town still has several sailboat harbors which are full of yachts and smaller sailboats, and this largely determines the image of the lakeshore.

"Őszöd" powered sailing yacht in the harbor

The sailing boat that was christened with the name "Őszöd" is one of the largest sailboats on Lake Balaton. It was built in Vác, Hungary in 1956 in the Dunai Hajógyár shipbuilding factory (in English "Danube Shipyard"). The two-masted motorized sailing yacht was originally made for an Arab sheikh and was named as "Yacht I.", but the customer couldn't take over the boat due to break out of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Then it was nationalized under the management of the National Council of Trade Unions (in Hungarian "Szakszervezetek Országos Tanácsa" or SZOT). Since then it sails on Lake Balaton under the name "Őszöd", just the owner is different today. Its sister ship is called "Békés", which was constructed at the same time and at the same place, but the hull (the body of the boat) of the "Őszöd" was built of steel instead of wood. Due to this the latter is 10 tons heavier, but probably thanks to this it floats on the water more stably, it is fast and perfectly navigable (easy to drive). In 2009 it was converted to single-masted with a new superstructure on the poop deck (the rear part of the vessel).

The "Csongor" pleasure boat leaves (in reversing) the harbor

The "Csongor" powered pleasure boat was already sunk into Lake Balaton, when the German troops sent it to the bottom of the lake in 1944 at Balatonfüred. The vessel was constructed in 1927 in the Balatonfüred factory of the IBUSZ Yachtépítő Rt. company. After the World War II the sunken boat was brought up to the surface from Lake Balaton and in 1946 it was restored. Originally the hull (body) of the "Csongor" was made of wood, but in 1957 it was replaced to an iron (steel) hull.

The "Fonyód" excursion ship at the boat station

The "Fonyód" passenger boat of Lake Balaton was made based on the "Lelle" pleasure boat that was renovated just before the "Fonyód" and virtually the sister ship of it. Firstly the Hungarians bought the hull of a Soviet-made small coastal vessel that was constructed in 1981 in Illichivsk, Soviet Union (today Ukrain). Then due to the low water level of the Sió Channel it was transported to the Lake Balaton on road. The conversion works of the boat were completed in 2003, then it was ceremoniously christened and launched in Fonyód town.

Stefánia Vitorlás Restaurant and Guesthouse is a typical building of Füred

The old building was initially a boathouse and the clubhouse of the Stefánia Yacht Association (Hungarian: "Stefánia Yacht Egylet") which was founded in 1884. It was built in 1887, designed by the famous Hungarian architect Alajos Hauszmann. Soon it became very popular among the aristocrats of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (the "Monarchy"). The building is standing right on the waterfront, after some time it became a restaurant (the Vitorlás Restaurant) and as of today it is one of the iconic catering and lodging establishments of the Balaton Lake.

The authentically reconstructed Jókai pleasure-boat

The "Jókai" was the fifth powered pleasure-boat on Lake Balaton, it was launched here on this lake in 1913. The boat was made in Budapest, Hungary in the Óbuda Shipyard, its has the capacity of about 100 persons. The first renovation was done in 1964 and then it was operated on the Tisza River. In 1999 it was renovated again and moved to the Danube River. However, due to the at that time very low water level of Lake Balaton it could be transported further only on road, so finally it arrived back to the Balaton Lake only in 2002. The boat welcomes guests since 2003, it is used mostly for organized trips and events around Balatonfüred town.