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Balaton Museum, Keszthely

The building of the museum was build in the first half of the 1900's in Neo-baroque style. By visiting the exhibition, we can learn about the past and present of the Balaton and its surroundings. There are many exciting temporary and permanent exhibitions worth to see.

As of 2015, there are 3 larger permanent exhibitions in the museum.

"Golden Bridge" - Chapters from the history of Lake Balaton

By walking through 11 rooms, we can get to know the history of the "Hungarian sea". The first room is about the formation of the lake, in the second we can learn about the first inhabitants around Balaton. The third room contains dioramas which show the flora and fauna found underwater, on the shores and on the nearby mountains. The next two rooms are about the Prehistoric, Roman and Medieval castles and forts in the area. In Room 6 we can use computers to learn more about the history of Lake Balaton, Room 7 showcases the tools and methods of fishing. The next two rooms deal with topics such as  water sports, children's camps, vineyards and folk art, and we can also see a collection about the history of swimming clothes presented in a wooden bathing house. In the last two rooms, we can see photos and illustrations from the centuries of sailing on the lake.

Aquarium of Balaton Fishes

The exhibition displays the underwater world and 42 fish species of Balaton- There is also a soil profile which shows different layers and contains ancient fossils and fragments of old jars.

What stories do the stones tell – Roman and medieval stone collection

This exhibition space presents Roman and Medieval stones, building blocks from around the lake.

The Balaton Museum received the Museum of the Year award in 2011 and the Podmaniczky Award in 2014.

The museum and one of the bathrooms is step free so it can be also visited by people with disabilities. There is also an audio induction loop for the hearing impaired and an audio map in mp3 for the vision impaired.

Official website of the museum:  www.balatonimuzeum.hu/en