Besides the Obvious

A floating village on water

One of the hidden treasures of Hungary is the Fishermen Lake of Bokod (in Hungarian: Bokodi tó). It is located at the foot of Vértes, close to Oroszlány, on the shore of which the so-called floating village wonders half of the world. The shore of the artificial cooling lake of the Vértes Power Plant is almost completely occupied by the special fishing houses built on piles, to which a pier consisting of long wooden planks leads.

Thanks to the unique appearance of the floating houses gained the Hungarian Bora Bora nickname, referring to the famous French Polynesian holiday paradise. Well, we need to lower our expectations a bit, but indeed the appearance can remind us a bit.

The history of the lake

In order to build the cooling lake of the Oroszlány thermal power plant, they dammed the by-river flowing through the surrounding meadows. ,The dam’s works finished in the fall of 1960 and the filling of the lake began. In 1961 they constructed the power plant. The lake has a dual purpose; refrigeration and storage. The cooling water heated in the power plant condensers is cooled by surface evaporation and mixing with the influence of the lake. The point is that due to industrial activity, the water temperature in the lake is ideal for wildlife, especially for fishes.

Over the years, the Fishermen lake of Bokod has become a popular fishing paradise, with the exception of the shore in the immediate vicinity of the northern dam and the thermal power plant, surrounded by fishing houses on characteristic piles, most of which are led by long piers made of wooden planks.

The highly photogenic, romantic lakeside whistles are privately owned, their visit is of course not allowed for strangers. Nevertheless, the lakeside is owned by the power plant, in theory anyone can move freely on the shores of the fishing lake. Recently, photos and descriptions of the place have appeared on several foreign portals.

How to visit the fishermen lake of Bokod

Approaching Lake Bokodi is by no means an easy task. We can only get to the shore on dirt roads in rather poor condition. The easiest beach to reach, perhaps equipped with one of the most spectacular piers. It is located in the northeastern part of the lake, from Oroszlány on Dózsa György utca or Kecskédi út, right in the big bend. We continue straight on the narrow concrete road towards the resort of Galambos, after a few km the road ends into a dirt road following the shore. Here are some places we can put the car down. We can already see the lakeside cottages a few steps away.

The picturesque group of houses on the other side of the lake are accessable from the direction of Bokod. From the road between Bokod and Oroszlány we can go to a group of houses on the southern shore of the lake on an also poor quality, wheel-breaking cart track.

When visiting, be very discreet, keep in mind that anglers want peace of mind, we must respect the privacy of the owners. Let us not go where a prohibition sign has been installed. Let us not make a sound, and especially not rubbish!

Services around the lake of Bokod

Even though many years ago you could have found some services around. Food tents and trucks were there to serve some Hungarian goods, by now they all disappeared. The only place we found was a very questionable floating house with Hungarian colours – guarded by two huge dogs – from where the owner came out and welcomed us on his own way. He served us a coffee, but it’s actually not a bar. It is his own house, and we were not very sure about his intentions. There is no price-list, no proper seats, and you can just pay as much as you want based on a complimentary system.

Where to stay around the lake of Bokod

There are not many options around, but from time to time you can get lucky and catch one of the floating houses to stay for a night. In this case the easiest way is to deal directly with the owner. Besides that you can always check for options in the nearby villages.

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