Tihany

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Coordinates: 46°54′32″N 17°52′45″E / 46.90891, 17.87923
Tihany
Tihany from birdview with Belső-tó (Inner Lake) in the centre and Lake Balaton in the background
Tihany Location of Tihany
Country	Hungary
County	Veszprém
Area
- Total	27.33 km² (10.6 sq mi)
Population (2004)
- Total	1,438
- Density	52.61/km² (136.3/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	8237
Area code(s)	87

Tihany is a village on the northern shore of Lake Balaton on the Tihany Peninsula (Hungary, Veszprém County). The whole peninsula is a historical district.

The center of the district is the Benedictine Abbey, which was founded in 1055 AD by András (Andrew) I, who is buried in the crypt. (The founding charter of this abbey is the first extant record of Hungarian language, preserved in Pannonhalma Benedictine Archabbey.) The church itself was rebuilt in baroque style in 1754. The still functioning abbey is a popular tourist attraction due to its historical and artistic significance. It also has the best view of Lake Balaton.

The abbey also features as a footnote in Habsburg history - the last Habsburg Emperor of Austria, Charles I was briefly held prisoner here following his second attempt to regain the throne of Hungary.

Tihany abbey

Tihany is famous for the echo in its church, existing since the XVIII century. There were poems written for this echo, like by Mihály Csokonai Vitéz and Mihály Vörösmarty, but the most famous is by János Garay, summing up the legend of the place. The echo has since abated, due to changes in the landscape. The other part of the legend concerns with the "goats' nails", washed ashore from Balaton, which are in fact corners of prehistoric clams. According to the story, there was a princess with golden-haired goats, but she was too proud and hard of heart and was punished (cursed by the king of the lake): her goats were lost in Balaton, only their nails remained, and she was obliged to answer to every passers-by. A stone, remembering the Shouting Girl, is still to be seen near the village.

Tihany's inhabitants have the highest per capita income^[1], and the city has the highest housing prices^[1] in whole Hungary.

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[edit] References

^ ^a ^b Akit a hely természeti értékei érdekelnek, az olvassa el Futó János (szerk.): A Tihanyi-félsziget. A Balaton-felvidék természeti értékei III. Veszprém 2002 c. kiadványt ISBN 9632027582, ISSN 15863441.