Situated 70km (43mi.) west of Budapest on the slopes of the Gerecse Hills and on the banks of the Old Lake (Öreg tó), Tata is an important communication center and a popular recreational resort.
History
The lakes interconnected by channels which surround Tata were formed in the 18th C with the
draining of the marshes; Tata therefore became known as the "town of lakes". It was inhabited as far back as the Roman period; the first official documents date from 1221. In the 13th and 14th C the town belonged to the crown; in the 16th C it was enlarged and fortified against the Turks and taken and stormed by both sides on several occasions. From 1727 Tata belonged to the Counts of Esterházy under whom it developed into an attractive residential town. Many of the 18th C Baroque buildings are the work of Jakob Fellner, the architect of the Eszterházys.