Lenti

Offering both physical and mental relaxation, the settlement's most popular attraction is the thermal baths and the nearby energy park.

Lenti's past reaches back to the times before written history. The famous Amber Road along which the Romans used to deliver amber from the Baltic Sea to the Adriatic passed close by.

It was first mentioned in 1237 records. For centuries the village was a property of members of the Bánffy family.

It became an important town early on and became an oppidum (Latin for market town) in 1380. This might well be one of the reasons influential noble families fought court cases for its ownership in the 16th century.

In the 16th and 17th century Lenti regained its importance when a castle was built on an island near the marshy River Kerka. During the Turkish battles this stronghold gained ever more significance but with the end of the fighting its role diminished. Lenti's social life and economy experience another boost in 1890 when the railway system reached the town.

Lenti became a district seat in 1925. The oppressive political atmosphere following World War II however was not favourable to the town's development. Geographically it was located uncomfortably close to Yugoslavia, then considered an enemy. The establishment of a border zone made matters even more difficult. Only in the 1960's when political tensions somewhat relaxed including an economic easement, did Lenti start developing again. As a result first it was granted city status in 1980, including five nearby villages. Progress is mainly due to the spa opened in 1978 and consistantly modernised ever since.

How to get there:
By railway, the settlement is served from Zalaegerszeg and Rédics. Local Volán buses serve Lenti from Zalaegerszeg. By car, take Route 86 (north-south) or Route 75 from the east. The nearby Rédics border crossing connects Lenti with Slovenia and Croatia.