Rezi Castle
On the north-western part of the Keszthely Hills, on the southern edge of the Zalaszántó Basin, Rezi Castle is situated on a projecting dolomite crag of Meleg-hegy, surrounded by steep slopes.
From the easily accessible ruins, an unparalleled view opens up from Lake Balaton all the way to Sümeg.
Description of the castle
North of the village of Rezi, on the projecting crag of the 425 m high Meleg-hegy, stands the castle with an irregular ground plan, elongated in a north–south direction and featuring an internal tower. Originally it consisted of a narrower, clearly distinct living quarter to the north and a walled courtyard widening more and more towards the south. In its heyday, the castle courtyard was surrounded by a 9 m high defensive wall. The earliest part of the castle was a residential tower (keep) protected by a natural rock-cut ditch.
North of the village of Rezi, on the projecting crag of the 425 m high Meleg-hegy, stands the castle with an irregular ground plan, elongated in a north–south direction and featuring an internal tower. Originally it consisted of a narrower, clearly distinct living quarter to the north and a walled courtyard widening more and more towards the south. In its heyday, the castle courtyard was surrounded by a 9 m high defensive wall. The earliest part of the castle was a residential tower (keep) protected by a natural rock-cut ditch.
From the castle walls a splendid view opens up over the Szántó Basin; the snow-white dome of the Buddhist stupa and the regular cone of Tátika are clearly visible, while from the eastern castle walls the water surface of Lake Balaton glints and the volcanic witness hills of the Tapolca Basin take shape.
Practical information
Access
By car, the route from Rezi is signposted all the way. At the central roundabout, set off in an easterly direction; we cross the fields on a relatively good-quality dirt road with wide bends, then, entering the forest, the road becomes steeper and of poorer quality, but is easily passable in dry weather, and at its end we can leave the car in a car park. From there, the castle is a further 15-minute walk along the trail marked "KL".
The section of the National Blue Trail (Országos Kéktúra) between Rezi and Zalaszántó currently (2015) still bypasses Meleg-hegy, but in the near future the new route will go right up to the car park below the castle, from where we continue along the "KL" marking to the castle.
