Government cronies are choosing beloved Hungary by the lake, locals warn

Surrounded by once-free beaches and lush parks, Hungary’s Lake Balaton has delighted generations of vacationers — but now, locals warn, private developers are fencing off the sandy coves for wealthy visitors, with the blessing of the nationalist government.

Luxury hotels, apartment buildings and closed marinas have in recent years begun to replace the free-entry beaches, campsites and greenery around central Europe’s largest freshwater lake — affectionately known as the “Hungarian Sea”.

Some locals warn the trend threatens traditional tourism and blame the changes on Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Critics accuse the nationalist leader of letting his allies take over large parts of the economy since returning to power in 2010.

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“I’m seriously worried,” said Peter Karpati, a local activist who has been selling ice cream for nearly 40 years at the port of Balatonfoldvar.

He denounces the “greed that is gradually eating away at the lake and leading it to destruction.”

The lake, with its 235 km (146 mi) shoreline, receives 2.8 million visitors each year, mostly Hungarians.

However, figures from the state statistics agency show a decline in overnight stays in June on a year-on-year basis, even as overall spending by visitors has increased, amid gentrification and rising prices.

Karpati accuses the municipality of “laundering” money for “pointless” developments instead of focusing on attracting tourists.

He is considering moving his shop — in exchange for a hefty check from the municipality — to make way for “a big businessman in Orbán’s system.”

“No beach is safe”

More than 50 developments around the lake are spearheaded by businessmen close to Orbán, according to corruption watchdog K-monitor.

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Among those said to be involved is his son-in-law Istvan Tiborcz.

Timborts told AFP he was only involved on an “intermittent basis” several years ago and said “misleading” claims had been made about his role.

The government says it is providing funds to boost tourism, but critics accuse it of funding controversial projects and advocating legal changes to promote them.

In Balatonfoldvar, ice cream seller Karpati is part of a local group waging a protracted legal battle to protect the beach from a controversial marina project, already half-built, which the group says is linked to Orban allies.

Construction was stopped twice by the courts, which cited a lack of public consultation and a lack of an environmental impact study.

But it started again after the city council — led by Orban’s Fidesz party — retroactively changed the local building code last year.

“If this can be done here in Balatonfoldvar… then not a single beach in Balaton is safe,” warned the head of the activist group, Karoli Herenyi.

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He is a prominent member of a defunct party, once a close ally of Fidesz.

Holidaymaker Laszlone Szabo, a 46-year-old teacher, signed a petition against the marina.

“The harbor is a bit of a nuisance, because we’ve been holidaying here for years, the kids grew up here — and as you can see, it breaks the view a bit,” he told AFP.

“It has taken the place of the west beach where we used to sunbathe and hang out all summer.”

The local mayor’s office did not grant an interview to AFP.

“New Aristocracy”

Herenyi believes there is a “strong political will” to create a “new aristocracy” that will have the lake to itself, like the nobles did a hundred years ago when the area started to become popular.

Host during the communist era to then-Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev and Cuban President Fidel Castro, Lake Balaton saw many Soviet-style buildings spring up.

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After the democratic transition in the 1990s, authorities vowed to stop the construction boom — but it has resumed with renewed vigor in recent years.

Activists anxious to preserve affordable family tourism saw a glimmer of hope in June when Fidesz lost ground in municipal elections.

In Keszthely, sometimes known as the “capital of Balaton”, Fidesz lost the mayoralty it had held since 2006 to a 54-year-old alternative economist, Gergely Toth.

He won after promising to pursue “kind growth” and listen to the people.

When he takes office in October, one of his first acts will be symbolic: tearing down a gate built without a permit — a frequent tactic by real estate developers — blocking public access to a local beach.

Source: AFP