Balatonföldvár (Hungary) (AFP) – Ringed by once-free beaches and green parks, Hungary’s Lake Balaton has delighted generations of holidaymakers. However, locals warn that private developers are fencing off the sandy bays for rich visitors, and this is happening with the nationalist government’s blessing. Luxury hotels, apartment blocks, and closed-off marinas have begun replacing the free-entry beaches, campsites, and greenery around central Europe’s largest freshwater lake, affectionately known as the “Hungarian Sea.”
Some locals express concern that this trend threatens traditional tourism and attribute the changes to Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Critics accuse the nationalist leader of allowing his allies to take over large swathes of the economy since his return to power in 2010. “I’m seriously worried,” said Peter Karpati, a local activist who has been selling ice cream for almost 40 years in the port of Balatonfoldvar. He denounces the “greed that is gradually eating away at the lake and leading it to ruin.” The lake, which has a 235-kilometre (146-mile) shoreline, attracts 2.8 million visitors each year, mostly Hungarians. However, figures from the state statistical office indicate a decline in overnight stays in June year-on-year, despite an increase in total spending by visitors, amidst rising gentrification and soaring prices.
Karpati accuses the municipality of “flushing away” money on “senseless” developments instead of focusing on attracting tourists. He is considering moving his shop, in exchange for a hefty check from the municipality, to make way for “a big entrepreneur in Orban’s system.” More than 50 developments around the lake are reportedly spearheaded by businessmen close to Orban, according to the corruption watchdog K-monitor. Among those said to be involved is his son-in-law, Istvan Tiborcz. Tiborcz told AFP that he was involved only on an “intermittent basis” several years ago and claimed that “misleading” statements have been made about his role.
The government insists it provides funds for tourism development, but critics accuse it of financing controversial projects and supporting legal changes to push them through. In Balatonfoldvar, ice cream seller Karpati is a member of a local group fighting a prolonged legal battle to protect the beach from a contested marina project, which the group claims is connected to Orban’s allies. Construction was halted twice by the courts due to a lack of public consultation and a missing environmental impact study. Nonetheless, it was restarted after the town council, led by Orban’s Fidesz party, retroactively changed the local building code last year.
“If this can be done here in Balatonfoldvar… then not a single beach in Balaton is safe,” warned the head of the activist group, Karoly Herenyi, who is a prominent member of a now-defunct party that was once a close ally of Fidesz. Holidaymaker Laszlone Szabo, a 46-year-old teacher, has signed a petition against the marina, stating, “The port is a bit of a nuisance because we’ve been holidaying here for years; the kids grew up here — and as you can see, it breaks the view a bit. It has taken the part of the western beach where we used to sunbathe and spend the whole summer.” The local mayor’s office did not grant AFP an interview.
Herenyi believes there is a “strong political will” to create a “new aristocracy” that will have the lake to themselves, akin to the nobility of a hundred years ago when the region began to gain popularity. Lake Balaton was hosted during the communist period by then-Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev and Cuban president Fidel Castro, leading to the construction of many Soviet-style buildings. Following the democratic transition in the 1990s, authorities had promised to halt the construction boom, but it has resumed with renewed vigor in recent years.
Activists worried about preserving affordable family tourism saw a glimmer of hope in June when Fidesz lost ground in the municipal elections. In Keszthely, often referred to as “Balaton’s capital,” Fidesz lost the mayorship it had held since 2006 to a 54-year-old alternative economist, Gergely Toth. He won the election after promising to pursue “gentle development” and to listen to the people. Upon taking office in October, one of his first acts will be symbolic: to dismantle a gate built without a permit — a common tactic of real estate developers — that currently blocks public access to a local beach.
© 2024 AFP
