The lake is beautiful from here too, but you have to pay for it and the iron structure blocks the view.
Lake Balaton is incredibly beautiful, you wouldn’t think that a relatively flat area with a peaceful lake could be so spectacular.
Especially from spring to autumn, on sunny days, you can marvel at the harmony of the blue water and the green of the lakeside plants. And in winter, the frozen landscape will captivate you.
If you go to Lake Balaton, there’s a good chance you want to find a viewpoint, of which there have been many in the last decade or two.
Balatonboglár is one of the oldest and is considered iconic in Hungary.
Officially called the Xantus János Gömbkilátó (János Xantus Spherical Lookout) is a truly remarkable creation. Designed by an engineer named István Kádár, it was built in a factory in Székesfehérvár and exhibited at the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels.
It was then exhibited in Budapest for a while, and in the late 1960s it was brought here to Lake Balaton. The original idea was to put a glass cover on it, but nothing came of it. It was renovated in the 1980s, but then deteriorated so much that it was closed after the turn of the millennium. It was reopened in its current form in 2014.
The view from here is magnificent, with Somogy County behind us and the lake in front of us, which is always and everywhere beautiful.
However, those who want to take photographs should be aware that it won’t be easy. Unfortunately, the metal structure of the viewing platform obstructs the view and it is not easy to find a place where this can be avoided. It is true that the selfies are enhanced by this interesting geometric shape.
In addition, you have to pay for car park a few hundred metres away (300 HUF/hour) and there is also a fee for the viewpoint (590 HUF). It’s not a lot of money, but you still have to pay. The sign says that for this amount you can look at the lake for 10 minutes. The other question is how it can be checked.
