Balatonalmádi is a fast-growing, busy holiday town in Veszprém
county, near the north-eastern bay of Lake Balaton, on the slope of
Öreg-hegy descending to the lake. The nearby county seat, Veszprém,
plays a major role in its development. It is the seat of the
Balatonalmádi district.
The part of Balatonalmádi is also
Vörösberény (since 1971), Budatava and Káptalanfüred.
It is located at the northeastern tip of Lake Balaton, open to the water, surrounded by hills on the west and north sides, which protect the settlement from the prevailing winds by creating a kind of wind shadow. The surrounding hills and mountains contain a significant amount of red sandstone, which was often used in the construction of local houses. Red stone is also preserved by geographical names, mining of the building stone has now been completed, and greater exploration of the mineral has been delayed due to its bauxite content.
Its most
important route is the main road 71, which runs for several
kilometers along the city. It branches off from this, near the
21,400-kilometer section, the short road 72,803 to Vörösberény; the
7217 road, which connects the settlement with Veszprém and
Szentkirályszabadja, and the 4.5 km long road 7218, which stretches
to Felsőörs at its 26th kilometer, opens near the 24,500-kilometer
section, after a narrow 11 kilometers .
The Székesfehérvár –
Tapolca railway line passes through Balatonalmádi, with a railway
station (Balatonalmádi railway station) and a stop (Káptalanfüred
stop) here. Balatonalmádi railway station handles relatively high
traffic, most high-speed trains also stop here, and the
Káptalanfüred stop serves significantly less traffic.
Prior
to its closure in 1969, the Alsóörs – Veszprém railway line also
affected the city, passing through the Káptalanfüred stop and two
other stops here (Balatonalmádi Öreg-hegy stop, Balatonalmádi
Remete-völgy stop); today, with the exception of a massive railway
stone bridge and the steam locomotive standing on it as a monument,
not much is reminiscent of the former existence of the latter
railway line in the city.
The area has been
inhabited since Roman times due to the benefits of nature and its
proximity to Lake Balaton. At the time of the conquest, it belonged
to the accommodation area of the princely tribe. Almádi's first
written mention dates from 1082, Vörösberény's from 1109. In the
distant past, among its settlement-forming features, it was mainly
(through the soil formed from the Permian red sandstone crumbs) as a
wine-growing place.
The registration of members of the
Reformed community began in 1735, and that of Roman Catholics in
1749.
The name of the settlement was Almádi until the
settlement of the village name at the beginning of the 20th century.
In 1909 it became a large village. The resort development of Győr –
Veszprém – Almádi-Alsóörs and the
Börgönd-Szabadbattyán-Balatonfüred-Tapolca railway, built in
1908-1909, accelerated its development in the resort. The
establishment of the Balatonalmádi Bath and Construction Company
also had an incentive effect. The shore was landscaped in 1889, its
large trees were planted in 1903, it received electricity in 1925,
the first beach was built in 1927, which was expanded after 1945 and
then in 1964. The construction of its water network began in 1942,
and in 1960 its entire area was supplied by the connection of the
Mill Valley springs. The development of tourism in the Balaton
Holiday District began in the early 1960s, and since then it has
become a destination for both organized and family holidays. In
addition to its hotel and catering facilities, its recreational and
indoor garden areas have grown enormous, which have essentially
grown from Csopak-Alsóörs to parts of Balatonfűzfő, Balatonkenese
and Balatonakarattya as special holiday agglomerations.
Today, the economic basis of the settlement is basically holiday
tourism, and the services and supplies established for this branch
of the economy. This is also characteristic of its employment
structure, the allergic side of which is seasonality. Through the
needs of the institutional system that has become settled here by
becoming a city, the establishment of additional and local
productive economic organizations, and the extension of the tourist
season, this one-sidedness is slowly dissolving.
The
attractive impact of the city on the coastal settlement area is
realized primarily by its network of commercial service providers
and entertainment, in which the private enterprises and privatized
economic organizations of the 1990s offer a very diverse offer.
Since the 1980s, the development of the city has also placed
greater emphasis on the construction of private and organized
housing to resettle the permanent population, as well as the
installation of secondary institutions to expand the city's
function, including a reputable bilingual grammar school, the
country's first such shopping center. Their regional
supply-organizing effect is gradually expanding, and the spontaneous
agglomeration mentioned above is starting to fit into the normal
settlement development framework. Strengthening the city's economy
and its urban and resort tourism character requires the development
of connections and local services with modern telecommunications and
IT networks as soon as possible, which may lead to the emergence of
another local economic branch. The urban atmosphere requires
constant cultural and cultural services and publications, which can
be based on existing local traditions and civic initiatives.