Villa Romana Baláca

Balácapuszta is an outlying settlement part in Veszprém county, on the southeastern edge of the Nemesvámos administrative area, at the border of Veszprémfajsz. Its road access is provided by road 7302 and the municipal road branching off from it. Its greatest significance is given by the large Roman-era villa estate ruin site uncovered here and the museum created to present it. The partially reconstructed villa estate building complex and the ruin garden operate as exhibition sites of the Hungarian National Museum. In 2012 the range of attractions was expanded with multimedia devices, models, and interiors.

History

The first memories of the once unparalleled Roman villa estate in Central Europe were uncovered at the beginning of the 20th century, and the work has continued since then.

The exhibition is spectacular, and its scientific significance is also very great. Sylvia Palágyi, archaeologist and leader of the excavations, has already organized an international congress and publication series have also appeared about the Balácapuszta excavations.

The building complex in Balácapuszta was the centre of a large economic unit. It is assumed that there were about 30–40 main buildings and 100 auxiliary buildings. The owner’s approximately 9‑hectare estate was surrounded by an irregular quadrangular stone wall. In the centre of the property stood the tenant’s villa, to which was attached the garden enclosed by walls; within the enclosing wall there were further buildings of various functions. After the construction began at the end of the 1st century and the beginning of the 2nd century, the central, regular rectangular building part was developed in the 2nd–3rd centuries, which was partitioned in various ways and expanded with other, smaller units. The partially heated corridor with a terrazzo floor surrounded the building on three sides. A large plastic floor‑plan model made of clay helps visitors navigate between the numbered building sections.

The excavation works of the most significant villa of Transdanubia, although Baláca had been known as a Roman site since the 18th century, only began in the early 19th century, in 1906, under the direction of Gyula Rhé. In the first excavation phase, between 1906 and 1926, many significant building remains were uncovered, as well as wall paintings distinguished by colour—yellow‑purple, red, red‑black, and white‑based paintings from the back wall—and especially beautiful mosaics. In addition to the depiction of pomegranate trees, pheasants, Mediterranean plants and animals, these works also suggest how advanced viticulture was in the area during Roman times.

Not every find remained in Baláca. The mosaic of representation room number 20 was placed in the Hungarian National Museum in 1925. The other special, large mosaic floor, of room number 31, is visible on site. Amphorae, bowls, terra sigillata and other objects uncovered during the excavations were placed in the exhibition showcases. The complete excavation of the area, the ruin‑like presentation of the local finds, and the creation of a Roman stone collection have already begun, but further decades of work will be needed.