Page "Lake Balaton" Paragraph 9

During the 1960s and 1970s, Balaton became a major tourist destination for ordinary working Hungarians and especially for subsidised holiday excursions for union members.

It also attracted many East Germans and other residents of the Eastern Bloc.

West Germans could also visit, making Balaton a common meeting place for families and friends separated by the Berlin Wall until 1989.

The collapse of Communism after 1991 and the dismantling of the unions saw the gradual but steady reduction in numbers of lower-paid Hungarians.