Honvéd utca 1., Balatonfüred - the one-time summer home of novelist Mór Jókai and his wife, the actress Róza Laborfalvi. Participants of our tour could glimpse into the life of this Reform Era couple as well on Saturday evening. Some snippets: the celebrated actress turned into a shrew in her elder years, while "Uncle Móric" used to order arts catalogues from abroad, but only those which included nothing, but nudes.
Literary historian and museologist Mihály Praznovszky mixed literary history with stand-up comedy. He also talked about the ward of Jókai, Ottilia Lukanics. The old Jókai fell in love with the girl, but when their correspondence was by mistake delivered to Róza Laborfalvi's hand, her rage and the scandal wasn't soon forgotten.
This 120-year-old tree could witness Gyula Krúdy, Endre Ady and wife Csinszka, and the first Hungarian striptease dancer, Baby Becker, who received a villa in Balatonszepezd as a gift from Count Henrik Apponyi.
Balatonfüred once belonged to the Tihany Abbey, still the place was popular with those interested in the 'Bible of the Devil' (i.e. cards) and other gamblers. Count István Széchenyi, the one who commissioned the building of the Kisfaludy steamboat said that the cost of the entire boat could have been easily covered with just one day's turnover at the card tables of Füred.
80-100 persons listened to the story of compeletely naked coachmen grooming horses in the horse bath that once stood in the place of Vitorlás Restaurant and the holes in the wall of the women's change room in the one-time Cold Bath - which were even witnessed and mentioned by statesman Lajos Kossuth.
One of the most difficult moments of holidays is when you leave for home, but in the Balatonfüred of old, arrival was also a challenging task. Guests arriving by the post chaise to the hotel known today as Anna Grand Hotel were always received by a gossip-thirsty crowd, who did not fail to remark on the title, person or clothing of the ones arriving.
Mihály Praznovszky even digged out a few lewd poems by artists otherwise known for major works of Hungarian literature. He also explained that after the adventures of her youth, 'the Nightingale of the Nation' (actress Lujza Blaha), "retired" to gossiping with her circle of bosom friends in her summer home neighbour to the Jókai Villa in Balatonfüred.
The tour started from the Jókai Villa, touched the Round Church, Lujza Blaha's villa, and Anna Grand Hotel, before coming to an end behind the Heart Hospital, in the park where once the "hetaeras" (i.e. prostitutes) arriving from Arács were selling goods that could not be bought.
This park was once home to one of the theatres of Füred, where you could meet the 'foppish oddball' Mihály Bizay, the greatest con of 19th century Balatonfüred. The 'Baron of the Nation', who was by no means a baron and dealt in prostitution and card cheats was even portrayed by novelist Gyula Krúdy - another regular of Füred.
The sightseeing tour was part of the Open Balaton programme series. Join us next week again!
