Balaton + Retro temporary exhibition series

"Advertising and propaganda for the ideal holiday 1930 - 1988

Lake Balaton is our national treasure, Hungary's most popular holiday destination, but also a symbol of a feeling and summer holidays. Visitors to the exhibition can discover how people were lured to Lake Balaton between 1930 and 1988 through paper memorabilia, and the special objects on display recall the things that holidaymakers could find on the shores of Lake Balaton.

Nearly 50 posters were on display in the rooms of the Castle Gallery. The prints, dating from the 1950s and featuring Socialist slogans, show how persistent overtime and a savings book helped to make holiday dreams come true.   The IBUSZ, MAHART and MALÉV series, now classics from private collections, are proof of the high quality of Hungarian poster art in the 1960s. It is a special feeling to see the advertising posters with English, French and German subtitles inviting foreign visitors of the time to Lake Balaton. 

The advertisements for the new Hungarian fizzy drinks of the 70s already hinted at 'Westernisation'. The style of the souvenirs in the display cases did not change much over the decades. At best, they border on kitsch, but they often cross the line.  Many of the postcards date from an earlier period and evoke the Art Nouveau elegance of the 1930s.

The ground floor of the Granary was set up as a beach by the organisers, with camping chairs, rubber mattresses, metal food containers and sandpits still used by many. On the first floor of the Granary, posters of films set on the shores of Lake Balaton included signed copies of the advertisement for the colourful musical film The Kangaroo. Posters promoting the films of István Bujtor, the main marketing man for Lake Balaton, may be familiar to younger generations, as are the films themselves.