Old Hungarian breeds
Grey cattle, racka sheep and woolly mangalica pigs on a working farm.
Pasztilla aka Attila Terbócs — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ocsovai Mária — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pasztilla aka Attila Terbócs — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pasztilla aka Attila Terbócs — CC BY-SA 4.0
A very small village on the Káli basin north of Lake Balaton, among the best preserved in the area in its traditional form, with a population of only a few hundred. What distinguishes it is what did not happen: it never expanded and no resorts were built, so its stone houses with reed roofs, its church and an old abandoned Franciscan monastery on its edge all remain. The village is an example of what this upland was before Balaton became a tourist destination. On the edge of the village a working traditional farm keeps old Hungarian breeds — grey cattle, racka sheep and the woolly mangalica pig — and is open to visitors and well suited to children. The surrounding area lies within the Balaton Uplands National Park, with walking trails among the vineyards and volcanic hills. Practical points: the village is open and free by its nature. The farm and organised sites have their own hours and tickets — check before going. Access is far easier by car; public transport to the basin villages is very limited.
Grey cattle, racka sheep and woolly mangalica pigs on a working farm.
The remains of a Franciscan house on the village edge.
A village showing what the upland was before the resorts.
The Káli basin, north of Lake Balaton
An old Hungarian breed with a thick woolly coat that makes it look like a sheep. It nearly died out in the twentieth century when faster-growing breeds replaced it, then was revived because its meat and fat are prized in traditional cooking. Seeing them on a working farm is among the more charming things this part of Hungary offers.
It is difficult. The Káli basin villages are small and far apart and public transport between them is scarce. Without a car, concentrate on the northern shore near the rail line — Tihany and Balatonfüred — and leave the upland for a trip with a car.
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