Ajka

The town's industrial past is presented in several museums. Ajka's most popular outing spot is the Park Woods, which provides winter tourists with a ski run, a ski lift and a sledge run.

The earliest recorded mention of the village of Bakonygyepes, today a part of Ajka, is in a charter from 1212. The settlement was destroyed in Turkish times and was resettled in 1746. In 1977, it was annexed to Ajka and is viewed as a suburb. Mentioned as Rydnak villa in 1270, the village of Ajkarendek was also joined to Ajka in 1977. The village had been re-established following the Turkish withdrawal, mostly by German settlers.

Ajka is best known as an industrial town. This label stuck to it from the late-19th century when it began to develop rapidly following the discovery of a coal seam nearby, and the establishment of glass manufacture in 1878. Later the aluminium oxide plant and the aluminium foundry massively increased the number of workplaces and the village soon grew into a large settlement, achieving town status in 1959.

Visitors can choose from several interesting museums here. The Palaeontological and Geological Exhibition (Őslény- és Kőzettár) presents rocks and fossils from the various geological periods. Opposite that is the Mining Museum, which displays a number of curiosities including an old smithy, a transformer house, an engine shed, and large old mining machines that are kept in the yard.

Individually ground glass is made in the Ajka glassworks even today. The history of the factory exhibition and products made here can be seen in the museum next door.

How to get there:
By railway, the town is served from Veszprém, Budapest, Székesfehérvár, Veszprém, and Szombathely. By bus, coaches run to Ajka from Veszprém, Budapest, and Győr. By car, take Route 8 and follow the signpost south at neighbouring Bakonygyepes, 27 kilometres west of Veszprém.