The Thermal Waters of Hungary

Hungary is extremely rich in thermal waters, its thermal water reserve is significant on a world scale and on European scale it is outstanding. Most of the mineral and medicinal waters contain dissolved minerals, providing medicinal and curative powers, and making them suitable for bathing and drinking cures.

Currently there are more than a thousand wells in Hungary that give + 30°C hot water most of which is medicinal water. Medicinal waters can be found in almost all regions of Hungary, and about three-quarters of the wells are located in the Great Hungarian Plain.

Among the 150 hot water spa baths of the country there are 36 special medicinal baths in which the water contains radioactivity, sulphurous acid, salt bromine carbonate or iodine. Europe's only cave-spa is in Northeast Hungary, in Tapolca, while Hévíz Lake near Lake Balaton is the best-known hot water (33 °C) medicinal-water lake in Europe. For decades, Budapest has been enjoying the name "the world's spa capital". Some of its baths had already been operating during the Turkish occupation (16th-17th centuries). There are some two dozen baths and 13 spas in the capital.

Hungary's mineral water production was 358 million litres in 2000.

Our well-known thermal baths:

Map of hungary

1. Zalakaros

This 800 years old settlement, which is just 20 kilometres from lake Balaton, became well-known worldwide 35 years ago when thermal water was explored here. The 96°C thermal water, which was found during an exploratory drilling for hydrocarbons, proved to be very effective in healing chronic gynaecological troubles, paradentitis, chronic arthritis and in the after-treatment of patients suffering from orthopaedic, nerve-surgical and surgical locomotor disorders. While the indoor baths are open throughout the year the outdoor thermal baths operate seasonally.http://www.zalakaros.hu/index.htm

2. Hévíz

The Hévíz lake with its 47,500 square metres is one of the best-known spa resorts in Europe. The lake is fed by a thermal spring that was born in a very early geological stage. The spring supplies about 20,000 litres of water every minute so the water of the lake is renewed within every 72 hours. The temperature of the medicinal water is 33-35°C during the summer and doesn't go under 26°C even during the cold winter days. The mud covering the bottom of the lake is especially curative it occupies an intermediate position between the pure inorganic mud and the fango, which has a high organic matter content. The mixture of the mud and the thermal water is an ideal substance of mudpack. www.heviz.hu

3. Siófok-Igal

The thermal bath is located in the valley of Igal, 35 kilometres from lake Balaton, 25 kilometres from Kaposvár, in mild down which is typical in Somogy County. The 76°C water is welling up from a depth of 651 metres is supplying the pools with different temperature thermal water. In the area of the Igal Baths there are nine pools offering entertainment and recovery for the guests. www.siofok.com/igal

4. Dombóvár-Gunaras

The Gunaras Thermal Baths and Swimming Pool is 70 kilometres from Lake Balaton and 50 kilometres from Pécs and the Mecsek mountains. Its 55°C mineral water is alkali hydrogen carbonated thermal water and has a quite significant fluoride content. The water is suitable for curing locomotor disorders, gastralgia, bowel complaints, choleopathia, gynaecological troubles, gum and oral affections. The cures can be successful also in case of certain breathing, heart and circulatory deformations and in the field of dermatology. The spa bath welcomes those who like to be healed with physiotherapeutic and balneotherapeutic accessories, all-round therapeutic services, sauna and solarium and with trained masseurs all year. www.deldunantul.hu/termal/gunaras/index_a.html

5. Harkány

The 180 year-old Harkány Baths and Swimming Pool is often called "The Heaven of the Rheumatic". The spa bath founded by the Batthyány family is nowadays a family bath welcoming not only the guests who want to be healed but also those who like bathing and relaxing any time of the year. www.harkanyfurdo.hu/en/index.html

6. Bük

The Bük Spa Bath, well-known all over Europe, has developed to be one of Hungary's most remarkable spa baths in the second half of the century. The medicinal water welling up from a depth of 1282 metres is classed among the calcium magnesium hydrogen carbonated thermal waters; it provides an excellent cure for all kinds of locomotor disorders.

www.infobuk.hu/furdokepek.htm

7. Túrkeve

This spa bath is located 160 kilometres from Budapest. The 72°C thermal water of the medical pool is ideal for healing chronic rheumatism, arthritis, skin and gynaecological diseases and for posttraumatic extended care.

8. Kiskunmajsa

The utilisation of the 72°C sodium hydrogen carbonated thermal water, which was the secondary product of hydrocarbon mining from the 60s, started with the building of outdoor swimming pools in 1983. The impressive timbered hall that now houses a 36 °C and a 38 °C thermal pool, a 25-metre long swimming pool with a smaller cold water pool, the sauna and the solarium was built later. One of the outdoor pools is a spa pool the other one is a 75 metre wide and 100 metre long large swimming pool. www.jonathermal.hu/hfurdo.htm

9. Orosháza-Gyopárosfürdő

Lake Gyopáros that was referred to as the Pearl of the Hungarian Plain by the period press was pronounced to be a spa bath in 1869. The 40-50°C water of the thermal pools of the spa bath is fed by two deep bored wells. The natural alkali and hydrogen carbonated water is used against different diseases like locomotor and arthritic diseases, rheumatic and gynaecological troubles. The covered spa pool that is open all the year is 356 square metres large and includes 8 tub baths as well. Beside that there is an outdoor spa pool as well to satisfy the demand of the visitors.www.oroshaza.hu/oroshaza/magyar/gyoparos/gyoparos.html

10. Gyula

Gyula is a nice resort in the Southeast of the country 220 kilometres from Budapest. The thermal water of its castle-bath contains alkali hydrogen carbonate chloride. The 72°C water rushing up from six deep-bored wells has a high mineral content and is providing healing in the case of locomotor diseases, local nervous complaints, post traumatic extended care, aches from an acid stomach, gynaecological inflammatory troubles. Guests seeking for healing, recreation and sports can choose from 18 pools. Besides that they can try mudpack, magnetotherapic treatment, galvanic bath, inhalatorium treatment, effervescent bath, tangentor treatment or medical swimming. www.gyulavarfurdo.hu

11. The Berekfürdő Spa Bath

This settlement, which has 1100 permanent residents is situated 50 kilometres from Debrecen near the Hortobágy National Park and was put on the map by the well drilled by Ferenc Pávai Vajna in 1928-30. The water output of the spring that feeds the 56°C, alkali hydrogen carbonated, iodised thermal water is 1.5 cubic metres per minute. The thermal water also contains chloride, bromide, fluoride, sodium and calcium. The bath has great effect on patients with gynaecological, rheumatic and locomotor diseases (spinal, knee-joint, hip joint sclerosis) and it is also good for posttraumatic extended care.www.berekfurdo.hu

12. Debrecen

The Debrecen Spa Bath is located in a 37-acre wild oak-grove park. In the spa the visitor can have the choice of more than 40 different types of qualified treatments in the indoor and outdoor pools with different temperatures. The alkali chloric, hydrogen carbonated water is used against different diseases like chronic arthritis, chondritis, orthopaedic deformation, post traumatic extended care, certain, heart and circulatory disturbances, numerous gynaecological troubles and nervous complaints. The medical and recreational cures are available in one-, two- and three-week turns.www.debrecen.com/dbgyogy

13. Hajdúszoboszló

The medicinal thermal water of this 70 year-old world-famous thermal bath is welling up from 1100 metres to fill the pools with mineral water of different temperatures. The spa bath open throughout the whole year is offering a wide selection of physiotherapeutic and balneotherapeutic treatments for the patients. www.hajduszoboszlo.hu

Some useful links:

http://www.kvvm.hu/szakmai/karmentes/kiadvanyok/fav/tvka/tvka_tart.htm

http://www.asvanyvizek.hu/english/waters/

http://www.spatime.com/hungary_intro_GOOD.htm

http://www.visiteurope.com/hungary.html

http://www.logoi.com/links/budapest/budapest_baths.html

http://www.marys.cz/en/spas.php

Written by: Mimi