Why Foreigners Are Moving to Lake Balaton

Let's take a look whether large numbers of foreigners have taken up residence in the vicinity of Hungary's Lake Balaton.

Hungary' Lake Balaton (Photo: MTI/Tibor Katona)

Mark currently runs two businesses: a successful furniture company in Belgium that supplies specialist furniture to schools, police stations and other institutions. He used to import Belgian foods, but later decided to concentrate on Italian food with his second wife, a Hungarian.

He says that the friendly people, the closeness to nature and the relaxed lifestyle all contribute to his feeling truly at home here.

Mark's plans for the future include spending his retirement years in Hungary, where he feels financially secure and culturally valued.

His heart brought him here

Jorge Alberto Arjona enchants all with his music
(Photo by Annarozsa Meszaros)

 Jorge Alberto Arjona is a musician from the Andean region of northern Argentina. He plays traditional Andean instruments: the panpipe and the flute. He wanted to continue his career in France, but met his future wife, a Hungarian woman, and moved to Hungary. He and his wife first lived in Pecs, then in a nearby village, where they settled in a farmhouse. Although their marriage lasted 27 years, they could not reconcile their divergent rhythm of life, but their friendship remained and Jorge stayed in our country.

Music has always had an important role in Jorge's life, who initially worked as a street musician, performing to the delight of audiences in Pecs, Keszthely and other cities. The tranquility and energy of his music brought happiness and joy to many people, especially to those who suffered from sadness or ill health. In the health spa town of Heviz people would sit with their eyes closed absorbing his music.

"In my dreams, I had a persistently recurring image: I was walking on a road and spot a hill, climbing the hill, I see another hill with a small church on top. Then I saw this exact same picture in real life - that's when I felt I had arrived, that I had always wanted to come here," says Jorge, recalling one of the touching experiences that links him to Hungary.

Jorge lives in Keszthely now and works as a musician in Heviz with his partner Julia. He has found friendly people in the local communities and is particularly attracted by the family-centered nature of Hungarians, which he feels is akin to that of Argentinians.

He speaks excellent Hungarian and reads a lot about Hungarian history. He feels that here he has found the sense of stability and belonging he has always sought.