Famous writers and actresses. Champagne, gambling, fistfights and sex. A torchlit sightseeing casting light on the private life of the historic Balatonfüred in the frame of Open Balaton with We Love Balaton and literary historian Mihály Praznovszky. Tour de Infidelities, 2 May.
The nicely renovated houses of Balatonfüred's Reform Era centre tells you little about the sticky side of history, in spite of the fact that the Hungarian 'Vale of Tempe' was a dream destination to more than those yearning for some intellectual fizzle. There came those looking for summer flings, the gamblers, the cons and the prostitues -who had to be removed from Balatonfüred to Arács by force in 1849, as their presence posed a threat to entertainment of scrupulous guests.
Not only insignificant Corinthians dived headfirst into the Balatonfüred nights. Count Géza Zichy, who was sent to Budapest to recover from a serious accident at the age of 16, jumped instead into the pleasures of Balatonfüred and later reported that his amusements and feasts were getting out of hand. At a festive dinner, Count Mihály Esterházy had some many champagne bottles opened that even the staff was drunk for days.
Today, respectful restaurants, museums and offices stand where once gambling dens and brothels received their guests and the champagne-drenched evenings of Balatonfüred were spent. The memories of these notorious places, however, are not only preserved in the notes and letters of aristocrats and writers.
