Astounding trend: Could Lake Balaton fall into the hands of foreigners?

More and more foreigners are buying property around Lake Balaton.

Foreigners are invading Lake Balaton

More and more German pensioners are settling in Hungary’s most famous holiday destination, Lake Balaton. Mayors say the reason is low prices, and public safety and Hungarian hospitality that attract foreigners. Many foreigners even start learning Hungarian.

Infostart.hu reports that the number of German pensioners moving to Hungary has increased by 25 percent. Thus, for Germans, Lake Balaton and its surroundings have now become the new paradise.

There are 600 properties in Szőlősgyörök, more than 10 percent of which are already owned by foreigners. Péter Klotz, the mayor of the village, says that in his experience, German pensioners who used to holiday in the area are settling there. “In recent years, a total of five German couples have moved to our area, with the most recent addition this year being a new family,” said Klotz. He added that the Germans are well integrated into the community and actively participate in the life of the settlement.

Gábor Lombár, mayor of Balatonfenyves, says 300 of the local 5,300 properties are foreigner-owned. A German-language residents’ forum is held there every year. “Of course, we are happy that foreigners are coming here, but my personal fear is that with such property prices, young Hungarians will not be able to stay here and will have to make a living elsewhere,” said Lombár.