The first written mention of Zánka come from a will from 1164. In the vicinity, findings from the Bronze and Copper Age were unearthed. It was already populated during the age of Ancient Rome. During the Ottoman Wars, it was almost completely uninhabited for two centuries. In 1728 and 1736, the then owner Pál Esterházy brought German families to settle here.

The most important building of the village is the Reformed Church which is the oldest and best preserved church in the Balaton region. Its apse, linear from the outside, semicircular from the inside, is relatively rare in Hungary.

At the end of the 18th century, the majority were Protestant (Calvinistic and Lutheran) so they were the ones who restored the 12th century, Roman style church and shared its use for a long time.

The present day tower was built only at the end of the 19th century. Earlier, at the end of the 13th century, a tower was built on the western side of the church – where the twin windows can be seen – which had the same width as the nave. Its remains were placed under the roof built during the 18th century renovation. During the various changes to the building, the entrance on the southern side and the twin windows were walled up, restored only after archaeological research at the end of the 20th century.