Picture gallery

If the name of Somogybabod is mentioned in the county, almost everybody thinks of a neat settlement in the northern part of Somogy county, 40 kilometres from the seat of the county and 16 kilometres from Balatonlelle, along the road connecting Kaposvár with Lake Balaton. If this happens abroad, then people, especially those who are fond of off-road racing, will think of a village where all the off-road racing fans of Europe gather once a year. This is the ultimate destination where cars are put to the final test for days in a sea of mud and on slopes, while drivers are having a great time.

The settlement is easily accessible by road, however, you can find railways only on the shore of Lake Balaton. Splendid and varied forest associations cover the territory around the village, near the nature conservation area measuring 17 hectares. On the site of the present Somogybabod there were two settlements in the past: Tard and Babodpuszta. The former was referred to in a document from the 11th century as the property of the Abbacy of Szentmárton, while the name of Babod was first mentioned in a written document in the tithe register of the Pope in 1332-37. The borderline of the village was one of the most important wine-growing regions in the Middle Ages. The area became the property of the Zankó family first, later of the Lengyel, then of the Rihmer family. Somogybabod and Tard have been inhabited by families for more than 200 years. At the beginning of the last century the plains here belonged to various latifundia. Kisbabod, Szilvás, Ráki and Vörösihegy were parcelled out in the 1910s, while Nagybabod in the 1920s. The Inkey-mansion was built in the 1800s in Somogybabod; the hunting-seat is a private property today. The Catholic church of the village was built 50 years ago.

The inhabitants of Somogybabod and its aldermen have good contacts not only with tourists but the village's twin settlements as well. Friendship relations are indicated by a splendid Szekler gate right next to the church. The gate was made by the wood-carvers of a settlement in Szekler-land two years ago and was consecrated during the handing-over ceremony of the millennial flag in Somogybabod.

During the years before World War I emigrants purchased land here for cheap. 10-15 families founded these plains which had formerly belonged to Somogytúr and became an independent village in January 1939. At that time seventy families lived in this area and according to the chronicles, there was also a state-owned people’s school operating here. Somogybabod belonged to the rural district of Látrány and had an independent council until 1972. Then a common village council was established with the collaboration of three settlements and the local farmers’ co-operative founded an association with the participation of several partner organizations. For almost fifteen years a plastic plant operated in the village, providing employment for three hundred people. Later the establishment stopped production and the local government managed to find a solution for the long-time problem only in 2002: it bought the empty building to establish a metal cutting factory in it, however, unfortunately the situation has not changed ever since because there is no production going on in the area.

In 1980 Tardpuszta, a village with a population amounting to almost three hundred people, was attached from Somogytúr to Somogybabod. There are more than five hundred and sixty people living in the six streets of Somogybabod these days and the number of population has been steady in the past few years. There are more than two hundred and twenty two neat houses in its streets. The kindergarten of the village can be found along main road no. 67. Its colourful toys are sometimes admired by tourists. There are several enterprises in the village offering employment for the residents who try to take advantage of the various opportunities provided by tourism as well.

It is not an exaggeration that for the duration of the off-road festival the village becomes a busy place where everybody tries to help the huge masses of tourists and meet their needs. A part of the residents find employment by Lake Balaton during the tourist season. The local government is the most important employer in the village which is planning to offer the vacant building behind the kindergarten for sale or rent (with a value amounting to HUF 37 million) as an investment creating new jobs. We are at our dear clients' disposal regarding plans and other matters. A semi-constructed building with an area measuring 2000 m2.

Somogybabod has a highly-developed infrastructure. Since 1990 every street has been given an asphalt road surface and the water, the power supply and the telephone networks have been constructed in each of them. The gas pipe system has been also finished and during the past ten years the local government has multiplied the value of its assets by 37: has sold ten plots and another forty building sites have been designated which are available for sale.

During Whitsun the off-road festival organized each year turns the roads of the county ‘upside-down’ for a few days. Off-road drivers travel the roads of Somogy county in their giant-wheeled, all-mud vehicles, waving their hands happily to the residents. Besides ‘mud-bathing’, entertainment plays a significant role during the festival with various concerts and other spectacles. So, at this time of the year not only sports car lovers focus on this settlement in the northern part of Somogy county. The festival earns considerable profit for Somogybabod, for example in 2001 forty thousand people visited the place, making a lot of money for families taking part in village tourism. The village is popular among foreigners anyway, for more and more of them buy houses in Babod.

The area of the settlement abounds in splendid natural sights. We could mention Szentkút where local people believe in the power of the miraculous water. This place, which had been once a centre for pilgrimage, was ‘rediscovered’ by a resident. Until 1917 followers came here on the day of the Feast of the Assumption and they could find two smaller lakes here as well. However, due to the bursting of the dam the water flowed away and the area became abandoned. In the ‘90s the local government regulated the water of the spring and a park-wood was established in 2002. As a result, the area of Szentkút and Somogybabod became a popular target place for tourists again.