2018. December 13., Luca, Otília
Introduction of the Partners
The landscape of Zala County is diversified, dissected by hills and valleys, covered by rich flora, and to be found in the southeastern corner of Hungary. King St. Stephen founded the county; its borders were re-designed several times through history. Today, its territory of 3784 km2 includes nearly 300 000 inhabitants, living in 9 towns and 248 villages. Its county seat is Zalaegerszeg. During the geological processes, in the depth of the Zala soil, thermal water was accumulated, gaining a growing importance in tourism. Almost one-half of the surface waters are canalized by the Zala, while the other half by the Mura River. The River Zala – giving the name also to the county – has got a 138 km long, mainly regulated channel that canalizes 422 streams of different names into Lake Balaton. Zala County is characterized by a settlement structure consisting of specific, small villages that can benefit from the potentials of village tourism. The world’s largest natural medicinal lake is to be found in Hévíz, though the cultural and tourism supply of Zalakaros, Lenti, Kehidakustány, Zalaegerszeg and Keszthely is also known throughout Europe. Zala County is the place of advantageous leisure time activities, since those with recreational, entertainment, cultural, medical or sporting aims can all find their possibilities. Thermal and medicinal tourism represent an important source of income for the local inhabitants, because they raise both employment and living standard. The county’s rich fauna boasts with economically considerable roe and wild-boar stock, the deer of Zala is well known by far. Nearly 40% of the county’s territory is covered by forest, which – together with the ca. 40 clear-water fishing lakes in the valleys of the impounded streams – provide favourable conditions for hunting, angling and leisure tourism. Zala County is one of the headquarters of Hungarian horse breeding; one famous stud-farm is in Rádiháza, where horse riding is taught to the youth, and it is the basis of the national military competitions alike. The significance of tourism in the region is primarily guaranteed by the natural reserve landscape and the rare avifauna of the Small Balaton. Next to Lake Balaton, the town Keszthely is an attractive target on its own: its historic and cultural monuments offer sparkling programmes. The academic town of the county is Keszthely, where professionals of agriculture are trained; the towns Zalaegerszeg and Nagykanizsa host collegial education. The recent Zala County shows the picture of a dynamically developing landscape. The nearby border, as well as the inflow of foreign stock had a positive impact on the improvement of international economic relations and tourism. Since the international routes that lead to the Adriatic ports cross the county, Zala plays an important role in transit traffic. The European corridor Nr. 5 – stretching from Milan to Kiev – traverses the county, while the Hungarian-Slovenian railway was finished in 2002, crossing the border at Hodos. The branching structure of industry underwent a prominent change during the past couple of years. The most characteristic branches are marked by food industry, wood industry, furniture manufacturing, engineering industry and by clothing industry. The export of the county is also determined by the products of the above listed branches. The inhabitants of Zala are hospitable – maybe due to the tourism potentials of the county – and appreciate both their traditions and the continuous renewal required for development.
Contacts
Name: Kárpáti Veronika
E-mail: karpati.veronika@zalamegye.hu
Phone: 00 36 92 500-714