Fonyód, Balaton /// Hungary 2018.07.16. @Ati RATING: ✪✪ DIFFICULTY: easy SIZE: 2 buildings
8:40 19th June 2020 Published by Attila Deák
The Sirály Hotel was one of the oldest hotels in Lake Balaton and the most upscale hotel in the area. Now it’s an abandoned ruin, with a spectacular view of Lake Balaton from the south side towards the extinct volcanoes of the north coast. The nice architecture of the building is still grabbing the feeling of the summer holidays in the sixties.
Fonyód, Balaton /// Hungary 2018.07.16. @Ati RATING: ✪✪ DIFFICULTY: easy SIZE: 2 buildings
8:40 19th June 2020 Published by Attila Deák
The Sirály Hotel was one of the oldest hotels in Lake Balaton and the most upscale hotel in the area. Now it’s an abandoned ruin, with a spectacular view of Lake Balaton from the south side towards the extinct volcanoes of the north coast. The nice architecture of the building is still grabbing the feeling of the summer holidays in the sixties.
LOCATION
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The background story of the Sirály Hotel
The background story of the Sirály Hotel
The famous Anna Balls in Fonyód were held here every year. In addition to the hotel part, there is also a restaurant, a drinking area, and a ball area, where the more affluent and noble people spent their time. Civil servants and politicians were also regular guests at the hotel. Sirály Hotel lived its golden age in the ’60s and ’ 70s, it was a restaurant and buffet during the day and a nightclub in the evening.
History of the Sirály Hotel (Hotel Seagull)
In 1905, Count Béla Zichy built the Sirály Hotel in Fonyód in order to have a suitable venue for the upper-middle-class balls on the southern shore of Lake Balaton.
The Sirály Hotel was one of the oldest hotels in Lake Balaton and the most famous hotel in the area. Built during the Monarchy by Kamill Fitter in 1905, its main function was to serve the upper middle class and to provide it with demanding accommodation and entertainment. The owner of the hotel was Béla Zichy Béla earl, who was also a member of the Hungarian Parliament for several cycles, he was the 34th largest landowner in the Monarchy, the most wealthy of all Zichy in this regard.
Between the two world wars, the development of Fonyód continued under the leadership of new people, at which time several public dignities turned up in Bélatelep: Prime Minister István Bethlen or Iván Rakovszky, Minister of the Interior.
In 1963, the building was remodeled, and instead of a more homely look, it was given a socialist design for the time, and the ballroom section was transformed into a disco.
In a 2006 development program, the goal was to renovate the hotel, along with waiting for investment and developing a specific project idea.
Articles in Hungarian language:
- https://szellemvarosok.blog.hu/2015/07/29/a_siraly_hotel
- https://pusztulat.blog.hu/2018/08/01/a_flancos_baloktol_a_lassu_enyeszetig
- https://www.hirbalaton.hu/megujulhat-a-siraly-feltamasztjak-a-fonyodi-kisertet-szallot/
- https://www.szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu/az-elhagyott-siraly-hotel/
- https://welovebalaton.hu/cikk/2015/9/30/itt-110-eve-meg-anna-balokat-tartottak-kepgaleria
Archive photos of the Sirály Hotel:
(All archive photos were downloaded from the sites above, but we couldn’t find the names of the real photographers, so if you know it, please contact us, and we’ll highlight it below the photos)
1910:
1920:
1956:
1960:
1970:
1972:
1983:
VIDEOS
Videos from Youtube:
Urbex Hungary – Elhagyatott helyek nyomában Hotel Sirály 2018/ #26
Zoltán Bodor – Sirály Hotel Fonyód (Teljes bejárása)
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