201184th Stamp Day- Balatonfured is 800 years old - Miniature Sheet

"The proceeds from the surcharge of the Stamp Day block (HUF 200 per block sold) will be transferred by Magyar Posta to the National Federation of Hungarian Philatelists to support organised stamp collecting in Hungary. Balatonfüred is a small town with 13,500 inhabitants on the northern shore of Lake Balaton among rolling hills. It is embraced by hills to the north and the lake to the south. Its name, contrary to popular belief, is not derived from the Hungarian verb to bathe (fürödni) but refers to a place with quails (fürj). It was first mentioned in the description of the estates of Tihany Abbey in 1211. Its tourism dates back centuries and, after its mineral water was classified as medicinal water and its source as a medicinal spring, it became a spa town in 1971. Since 1987 it has borne the title International Town of Grapes and Wine. Its reputation mainly rests on its Mediterranean-like climate and its carbonated springs. Balatonfüred and its surroundings lie on the “Balaton Riviera”, which is so called due to the special features of the micro climate in the locality. The exchange of air between the land and the lake and the constant movement of air gives the locals clean, dust-free air. The State Coronary Hospital operates here, making use of the spring water for medicinal purposes. This is where the famous Nobel Prize winner, the Hindu poet, Rabindranath Tagore, recovered his health in 1926, after whom a promenade was later named. The town is also rich in places of historic interest, most of which have been renovated and converted. Balatonfüred started developing in the Age of Reform, in the 1800s. It was a favourite meeting place for politicians and artists with a progressive spirit, and this is when its historic and cultural role was the greatest. The town has numerous monuments, and important buildings and traditions from this age. It was here in 1825 that the first Anna Ball was held in Horváth House, and in 1831 that the poet Sándor Kisfaludy opened the first permanent theatre in Transdanubia from donations, and help from the Abbey and the locals. (Source: balaton-fured.hu)"