VIDEO: Balaton town’s notorious “Greek Village” demolished to make way for new residential park

The controversial and long-abandoned “Greek Village” in Balatonfüred is officially gone. What once stood as a failed tourism project (and later a divisive party venue) is now being transformed into a modern residential complex known as Anna Residential Park (Anna Lakóliget).

A past of unfulfilled promises

Construction of the Greek Village began in 1994 with high hopes of creating a lively commercial district full of shops, restaurants, and cafés. It was meant to replace the former Huray Market as a bustling centre for locals and tourists alike. However, the ambitious project quickly ran out of funding, VG writes. With few visitors and tenants, the area never came to life and gradually fell into disrepair.

Efforts to revitalise the site continued into the 2000s. In 2008, a company named Sundance Park Ltd. took over and tried to reinvent the area as Sun City, a summer entertainment district that hosted concerts and attracted young partygoers. While it gained popularity among youth, its loud nightlife divided locals and eventually wore out its welcome.

In 2023, the city launched a full-scale demolition of Sun City. By 2024, the remnants of the Greek Village, often referred to as a “ghost town”, had been completely removed. Only one former gatehouse building remains as a quiet reminder of the past.

A greener future on the horizon

Construction has now begun on Anna Residential Park, a new residential development planned to be completed by summer 2027. The four-hectare site will feature not only housing but also a significant amount of green space. According to local zoning laws, half of the land must become a public park, while the remainder will also include green areas to maintain the small-town atmosphere.