The Két Tölgy Information Centre in Sármellék combines practical visitor facilities with a theme that defines the area: Kis-Balaton. The site brings together a tourist information point, a free-to-access themed playground and a rest park featuring illustrations by Zsuzsanna Füzessy. Local cultural connections range from the old railway station to Tüskevár.

Landscape between the Plain and the Hills

Sármellék lies west of Lake Balaton, on the plain by Kis-Balaton. An eastern spur of the Zala Hills lies in the northern part of Sármellék. The local landscape can therefore be described in terms of two specific features: the plain by Kis-Balaton and the spur of the hills to the north. In the wider destination of Zala, Kis-Balaton is the largest body of water. It is under strict protection, covers 14,745 hectares and is the setting for István Fekete’s novels Tüskevár and Téli berek.

Két Tölgy: Information, cycling routes and nature

The information centre is housed in a long-disused railway station building, which was renovated as part of the project to establish the centre. The site has a cyclist rest area and a lockable bicycle storage room. The centre is also connected to cycling and hiking routes linking Kis-Balaton and Lake Balaton. The centre’s facilities and the route connections serve different orientation needs: the rest area and bicycle storage room are part of the site, while the routes link the two lake areas.

The site also includes the free themed playground and the rest park featuring illustrations by Zsuzsanna Füzessy. A permanent, interactive exhibition about the distinctive wildlife and plant life of Kis-Balaton is planned for the information centre. The planned exhibition theme is thus connected to the landscape that also shapes Sármellék’s location.

Tüskevár and the history of the railway station

Tüskevár is the oldest district of Sármellék and is associated with the novel by Hungarian writer István Fekete. The former railway station building and its surroundings are also associated with the Hungarian film Tüskevár. At the station, these cultural connections meet the more recent history of the site’s use: the long-disused building was renovated to house the Két Tölgy Information Centre.

Church and local buildings

The protected Church of St John the Baptist was built between 1839 and 1842 in the Classical style. A Baroque Holy Trinity monument stands in front of the church. Saint Sebastian, Saint Wendelin and Saint Florian are depicted on its pedestal. The church and the monument thus represent two distinct styles: the Classical style of the church building and the Baroque style of the monument.

The local building heritage also includes the so-called Bogyai Chapel in the cemetery of Sármellék. A new funeral hall has been added to the chapel. Together with the former railway station building, the church and the Holy Trinity monument, it adds further local buildings to the history of the oldest district.

Discover more destinations: Cserszegtomaj, Felsőpáhok, Rezi, Hévíz, Nemesbük, Alsópáhok.

Go to the wider travel overview: Hévízi.