Today it is a town of 12,500 inhabitants, 6 km from the Danube, 15 km from Szekszárd, 15 km from the world-famous forest of Gemenc, and 130 km from Budapest. Tolna was populated as early as the Roman times. A fortress called Alta ripa stood here. During the reign of the kings of the House of Árpád, the town was mentioned under the name Thelena, and later Tolna. It was a ferry and customs station, which played an important role in its development. The parliament used to sit here several times, it belonged to the heir to the throne and to the queen. The town was completely destroyed during the Turkish invasion. In the first half of the 18th century the landlord of the town settled people from Bavarian territories in the depopulated town, as a result of which the town started to develop very fast. Its fishing, the ship's carpenters and the mills were well-known along the Danube. Hunters can enjoy the forests of Gemenc and Gyulaj, fishermen can have excellent catches in the dead-channel of the Danube near the town. The Kayak-canoe Association has been training several world and European champions here. The town has all the advantages of a small town with a good train and bus service. Apart from the Thelena Hotel, several pensions, guest houses, restaurants and pizza bars await visitors. Within 10 km you can find the popular Fadd-Dombori resort, the Volent-bay, and the new Danube-bridge. Nationally famous events are the days of the Tolna Summer Festival held in August every year, and the Month of Health, a series of programmes on mental hygiene in November. |
