Before 1961, it was the farmyard of the Abbey

Rege yard: that's how everyone knows the place. Before it became the Rege yard, it was the farmyard of the Benedictine Abbey. The Buffet, with its arcades, retained the character of the fact that it was once the horse stable. The two huge blackberry trees were planted for the ducks and turkeys. It provided food and on hot summer days the residents of the yard would cool under it. The building of the coffee house used to be the pigsty. An underground tunnel led from the Abbey to our later warehouse. The fodder needed to feed the animals was probably stored here. When it was converted into a coffee house, the passage was walled off. The whitewashed walls of the passage were excavated during the complete reconstruction.

16.06.1961
The Rege coffee house was opened

The staff consisted of only four people, of course it wasn't enough to manage the summer traffic, so in the summer reinforcements arrived from Budapest from the Confectionery of Specialities.

Margit Kelemen - The first meeting

The two giant blackberry trees indicated spring with only tiny buds. The pattern of the basalt cubes covering the yard evoked the rays of the sun. The whole yard sloped from all directions, towards the simple concrete fountain that rose from the centre.

"She doesn't know it yet, but"...

"She doesn't know it yet, but she will be the manager here from 1 May," said Mr. Pócs, the director of the Independent Unit, to Margit Kelemen.

The year 1978 finally brought change...

The year 1978 finally brought change and the working conditions improved. In two months almost everything was rebuilt and replaced. The guest area became smaller, but due to the increase in traffic, a larger counter was needed, and it was only possible to expand in the direction of the hall.

A small and a double coffee please...

The coffee arrived green, not roasted. The girls roasted the 5-6 kg of coffee that was consumed daily on an electric rangette. There was double coffee and small coffee. The coffee was served in a durit cup. There were more and more foreign guests, mainly German, who did not drink espresso coffee at all. They didn't even sit down, they asked for coffee to be "heiss und gross", i.e. hot and big. It was only in 1979 that the first coffee specialities (Cobbler coffee, Rege coffee, Irish coffee, Bedouin coffee, Mexican coffee) appeared on the menu. The coffee no longer had to be roasted. Omnia coffee was delivered in a greaseproof paper-like brown bag. Later, the packaging and the presentation changed: It was 1 kg, in a beautiful silver bag.

My first thought...

My first thought as a company manager was that I wanted my own confectionery producer. When I learned that the Marina TCÜ would soon be closed, I was glad of my foresight. I wanted to be independent and make my dream of turning the coffee house into a confectionery come true. Behind the name of a shop, there were strict rules about what it could sell. It is very good if a shop has its own producers, but it is very, very difficult to find good confectioners. After three years of experimenting, I succeeded. This is Terike. She can pick out the right ingredients by touch, by sight, because she grew up on top of flour sacks. She has learned the ins and outs of the trade from two experts (Kálmán Gönczi, Ernő Bergmann) who can only be described as top-class.

The confectionery workshop...

The confectionery workshop was completed, so the coffee house name was abandoned and the name became Rege Confectionery.

The confectionery is again under Benedictine ownership.

The great rebuilding and renovation of the confectionery

...We were last open on 22 September 1996. The following morning, we started to move everything that had accumulated over 35 years into the buffet. As soon as we had finished, the huge construction machines came and tore everything down, except the walls of the original farm building, the pigsty, because they preserve two hundred years of memories. The counter is still located under its original arches. When you start a conversation in front of the counter, it echoes interestingly. The floor-high stone wall that formed the eastern side of the entire yard was also demolished. The wall was put back up, but the earth was not put back behind it. In this way, we gained a huge area: underground, but still in open connection with the yard. The confectionery workshop was also set up here with a beautiful arched viewing window.

5 June 1997
Ceremonial handover

Dressed in our new work clothes (green skirt and vest, white apron, white medical shoes and a green bow tie on a snow-white blouse), we lined up opposite the entrance to thank for the new Rege. The first ice-cold beer on the terrace was served to Father Richard, of course. The guest area has been enlarged with the addition and also received a new function. It hosted exhibitions from spring to autumn. The buffet was last open in 1997. In its place, the Benedictine Order started to build a guest house.

We managed to find furniture...

We managed to find furniture made of natural materials (wood and wrought iron). Large sunshades were also allowed to be set up on the terrace. They protect the furniture from the burning sun, but they have to be rolled up immediately when a storm approaches because they act like huge sails in the wind. And the storm on Lake Balaton is such that it strikes in a matter of seconds, and anything in its path is carried away. On a summer afternoon, a sudden storm like that broke all the three sunshades in half a second, smashing them to pieces against the retaining wall.

It's been fourteen years since...

It's been fourteen years since Rege took on a new look. A generation has grown up since then. The years fly by! - It's so good to be here!

We would like to thank...

We would like to thank Margit Kelemen, whose humble work made these stories come alive and be written.
(Margit Kelemen, Rege Confectionery 1961-2011, the story of the first fifty years)

The Abbey takes back the confectionery

We also offer monastic products to our guests such as Father Gellért's herbal tea, homemade lavender syrup, Abbey liqueurs and craft beers.

The complete renovation of the confectionery

We built a hot kitchen and a confectionery workshop suitable for serving the increased guest traffic, and also replaced the panoramic windows overlooking Lake Balaton.

A story that began...

A story that began in 1961 and we continue the tradition.

The production premises...

The production premises have been rebuilt to make the workflow more efficient, so that the daily work in the confectionery once again takes place as a visual workshop.

Lavender chocolate

With our master confectioners, we have brought to life a Belgian chocolate that carries the flavour of the Tihany lavender!

Rege Gallery
- Samsung The Frame

The photographs, graphics and paintings on display will be presented in digital format. They would not be displayed at the same time, nor separately, but in a completely random way. There is no predetermined order, the alternation of images is completely unique and unpredictable. Each moment, composition is only for the given viewer. It offers a unique and unrepeatable experience to those interested in the arts. Our aim is to give a modern twist to old values and traditions. We would like Tihany to become one of the centres of the cultural life in Balaton again, and one of the excellent possibilities for this is to maintain the operation of the Rege Gallery and raise it to an ever higher level. We would be very happy if we could contribute to the promotion of art and culture among young people.

The Abbey Rege Confectionery is 60 years old

"PAX! We, the Benedictine monks of Tihany and the operators and the staff of the Rege Confectionery of the Abbey warmly welcome you to the yard of the nearly thousand-year-old abbey towering over Lake Balaton and crowning Lake Balaton! Our greeting begins with the word PAX, which means peace. Until the middle of the 20th century, this holy place was truly an island of complete silence and peace, guarding the resting place of the fourth Hungarian king – Andrew I (I. András) (1060 A.D.). On 16 June 1961, the confectionery named after the story of the famous – and still well-functioning – echo of Tihany, the "Tihany Rege" opened its doors and since then, with a little exaggeration, the whole world has visited the Rege: From Canada to New Zealand. "Rege is a delightful blend of modern sophistication and medieval hospitality." We wish our dear guests to experience the ancient peace of the Tihany peninsula, the pleasure of good food and drinks and the reality of Benedictine hospitality in the royal seat of Hungary: in the Rege Confectionery of the Abbey."
Ágoston Barkó OSB

Continuous development of our gastronomic offer

Our guests can enjoy a freshly prepared breakfast in the glittering "golden bridge" on Lake Balaton, while during the day they can choose from our light, locally prepared dishes and cakes and ice cream sundaes, while enjoying the blue of the Hungarian sea in a thousand colours. And as the sun sets, you can enjoy your dinner in a pleasant atmosphere, accompanied by our drink specialities. Our lavender specialities, iconic cakes and free-range desserts are made with the utmost care in our visual workshop, using quality ingredients. In addition, we offer a delicious breakfast, crispy pizzas and a variety of dishes.

Coffee roasted by the Abbey itself

The Abbey coffee is prepared every year using carefully selected, only washed Arabica coffee and a touch of premium category Indian robusta. The Abbey coffee brings the most perfect aroma combination from excellent growing regions such as Brazil, Ethiopia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Dominica, Peru, Guatemala, Colombia and India. It reflects today's trends and the changes taking place in the field of Italian taste. With a medium roast, the aroma and aftertaste is a blend of cocoa, dried fruit, ripe plums, honey and white, bright flowers in our cup.

Our success lies in the fact that...

Our success lies in the fact that, as one of the best rural confectioneries in Hungary, we combine the preservation of tradition with continuous renewal and constant quality, so our confectionery has grown into one of the most popular gastronomic and tourist destinations of the region. We welcome you every day of the year to experience the unique Rege experience!