Combine harvesters on Lake Balaton? A strange plan has emerged for the utilization of the lake

An incredible plan was conceived in the mind of a high-ranking politician a few decades ago, we can be glad that it was ultimately not realized. Hungary is fortunate in that 55 percent (over 5 million hectares) of its land is used for agriculture. Four-fifths of this is arable land, 15 percent is used as pasture, 3 percent is used for vineyards and orchards, while the proportion of kitchen gardens does not even reach 0.1 percent. In the times before the regime change, impressive plans were made on how to further increase this area. Curiously, even Lake Balaton was mentioned in this context, which is not surprising considering it covers an area of 60,000 hectares. During the Turkish times, Lake Balaton and its surroundings were completely marshy, essentially becoming unusable, which is why it was suggested even in the time of Maria Theresa that the area should be utilized differently. In 1766, a plan was developed to drain Lake Balaton, with the aim of creating new grain-producing ...