For centuries, the powerful and the poor have escaped
the pressures of life in the steamy vestibules and
corridors of Budapest’s baths. Photo-journalist
RobinLaurance
dips a toe in Hungary’s warm,
soothing waters.
une
Itwascoldandgreyonthat Novembermorningin1956 when
Russiantroopsstormedinto Budapesttoputabrutalendtoa brave and daring attempt to challenge the Soviet Union’s domination of Eastern Europe.
The plans for the Hungarian uprising are said to have been laid in the steamy subterranean pools of Budapest’s thermal baths. And although Moscow’s tanks ripped into the façades of many of the city’s fine buildings in their search for snipers, the baths, enshrined in some of the city’s grandest architectural monuments, were left unscathed.
Politicians still frequent the baths and there has been much speculation recently about bath-time meetings and the political and economic revolutions that are re-shaping Hungary.
Mayors of Budapest have been regular visitors to the Lukács baths, while staff from the Hungarian Foreign Ministry have preferred to immerse themselves in the affairs of state among the splendours of the Rudâs baths.
The composer Zoltán Kodâly was apparently a Lukács man and Richard Burton and the Shah of Iran were regular visitors to the Gellért.
In all, 10 million men, women and children cross the watery threshold of Budapest’s thermal baths every year. An hour or so wallowing in the warm soothing waters is one way the people of Budapest cope with living in a city which has constant traffic congestion, a permanent housing shortage as well as a tortuous
Gently steaming amid the neo-Turkish classicism of the Rudas baths. It is 300 years since the Ottoman Turks ceded their foothold in central Europe, but their grand designs on Budapest’s thermal springs have been (matched with relish by generations of Hungarian architects.
bureaucracy doing its best to preserve the delicate balance between socialism and capitalism.
The Romans were the first to take advantage of this considerable liquid asset. Hot, mineral-rich springs have bubbled under the Buda hills for centuries producing 500,000 cubic metres of steaming water every 24 hours. Some water reaches the surface at nearly 80 degrees centigrade.
The emperor Tiberius sank the first well and left it to his profligate successor Nero to finish the job. Preferring his leisure activities to the onerous tasks of government, Nero would find every excuse to visit his new pleasure pools which soon expanded both in number and opulence. As Rome burned at the end of Nero’s reign, the emperor could be found steaming nicely in Budapest.
With the foundation of the Hungarian state under King Stephen at the turn of the 11th century, the baths gained new popularity reaching their heyday with King Matthias during the Renaissance. But it was 150 years of Turkish occupation, which started when Süleyman II routed a small Hungarian army at Mohacs in 1526, that finally turned the land-locked Hungarians into a nation of enthusiastic indoor bathers. The Turks built several hundred baths over the thermal springs, some of which are still almost unchanged today.
Turkish architects set high standards with their grand designs — which successive generations of architects have matched and bettered with relish. Domed roofs crown spacious vestibules; marble statues line the corridors; sensual figures grace ornate fountains; and rich paintings decorate the ceilings. Water spouts from lions’ heads and tiles shimmer under foot.
In complete contrast is Budapest’s newest bath complex in a luxury hotel on Margaret Island in the middle of the Danube. Here wealthy West German tourists forego the grand designs of the past to enjoy the five-star comforts of the present. They dine off cold morello cherry soup, goose liver pâté in aspic, Transylvanian goulash and crêpes stuffed with cheese. Then they work off the extra kilos in the baths and steam rooms.
The water in the hotel spring, which was first tapped in 1866, is a constant 70 degrees centigrade and has to be cooled to toe dipping comfort before being chanelled into the hotel pools.
While many visitors to Budapest’s baths use them simply as a form of relaxation, others, come to ease the pain of arthritis and rheumatism. Many specialists in Hungary are convinced of the healing powers of the thermal waters. The crucial mineral content of the water depends on the location of the spring pr well. Sulphur, calcium, magne
sium, salt and iodine are the most common. Practitioners claim the dissolved minerals are absorbed through the skin and inhaled in the vapour and mudbaths are used to treat locomotor problems. Some spring waters have even been found to be mildly radioactive.
Doctors outside Hungary are sceptical about the wide-ranging powers of the thermal waters, although they concede there is psychological comfort in soaking aching joints under torrents of hot water. □
Shafts of sunlight capture a scene that has changed little since N ero’s day. The domed baths of G ellert have been to Budapest’s dissident politicians what the catacombs of Rome were to early Christians and bathtime meetings have probably been behind
the recent reforms.
60 TURQUOISE
bureaucracy doing its best to preserve the delicate balance between socialism and capitalism.
The Romans were the first to take advantage of this considerable liquid asset. Hot, mineral-rich springs have bubbled under the Buda hills for centuries producing 500,000 cubic metres of steaming water every 24 hours. Some water reaches the surface at nearly 80 degrees centigrade.
The emperor Tiberius sank the first well and left it to his profligate successor Nero to finish the job. Preferring his leisure activities to the onerous tasks of government, Nero would find every excuse to visit his new pleasure pools which soon expanded both in number and opulence. As Rome burned at the end of Nero’s reign, the emperor could be found steaming nicely in Budapest.
With the foundation of the Hungarian state under King Stephen at the turn of the 11th century, the baths gained new popularity reaching their heyday with King Matthias during the Renaissance. But it was 150 years of Turkish occupation, which started when Suleyman II routed a small Hungarian army at Mohacs in 1526, that finally turned the land-locked Hungarians into a nation of enthusiastic indoor bathers. The Turks built several hundred baths over the thermal springs, some of which are still almost unchanged today.
Turkish architects set high standards with their grand designs — which successive generations of architects have matched and bettered with relish. Domed roofs crown spacious vestibules; marble statues line the corridors; sensual figures grace ornate fountains; and rich paintings decorate the ceilings. Water spouts from lions’ heads and tiles shimmer under foot.
In complete contrast is Budapest’s newest bath complex in a luxury hotel on Margaret Island in the middle of the Danube. Here wealthy West German tourists forego the grand designs of the past to enjoy the five-star comforts of the present. They dine off cold morello cherry soup, goose liver pate in aspic, Transylvanian goulash and crepes stuffed with cheese. Then they work off the extra kilos in the baths and steam rooms.
The water in the hotel spring, which was first tapped in 1866, is a constant 70 degrees centigrade and has to be cooled to toe dipping comfort before being chanelled into the hotel pools.
While many visitors to Budapest’s baths use them simply as a form of relaxation, others, come to ease the pain of arthritis and rheumatism. Many specialists in Hungary are convinced of the healing powers of the thermal waters. The crucial mineral content of the water depends on the location of the spring pr well. Sulphur, calcium, magne
sium, salt and iodine are the most common. Practitioners claim the dissolved minerals are absorbed through the skin and inhaled in the vapour and mudbaths are used to treat locomotor problems. Some spring waters have even been found to be mildly radioactive.
Doctors outside Hungary are sceptical about the wide-ranging powers of the thermal waters, although they concede there is psychological comfort in soaking aching joints under torrents of hot water. □
Shafts of sunlight capture a scene that has changed little since Nero’s day. The domed baths of G ellért have been to Budapest’s dissident politicians what the catacombs of Rome were to early Christians and bathtime meetings have probably been behind
the recent reforms.
62
TRAVEL NOTES
H otel accommodation in Budapest can be difficult to find so it’s best to book far in advance if possible. The W estern traveller w ill find hotel prices on par w ith other mid-range cities, but prices of everything else are delightfully low er
• Hilton (5-star)
I. Hess Andras te r 1-3, Buda (te l: 361-751000). How did the H ilton get permission to build on Buda’s beautiful C astle Hill? The location, one of the finest in the city, overlooks the Danube and is next to Fisherman’s Bastion.
• Thermal Hotel (5-star)
M argitziget (te l: 361-321-100). Located on the green island of Margit in the middle of the Danube. Famous baths.
• Gelldrt Hotel (4-star)
Szent G e llirt te r (te l: 361-460-700). Buda’s grand hotel on the banks of the Danube. Nice views of bridges. Endless swimming pools and thermal baths w ith exotic treatm ents.
• Grand Hotel Hungaria (4-star)
Rakoczi ut, Pest (te l: 361-229-050). Hungary's largest hotel, recently renovated to four-star status. W orth checking if others full. Service very good, amenities plentiful. Good location fo r rail and m etro. W alking distance to Buda.
• Astoria
V. Kossuth Lajos utca 19 (te l: 361-17344II). A landmark hotel w ith sparkling brass and polished wood furnishings
TURQUOISE
r v
THE MIRACULOUS SPRINGS OF THE ST LUKE THERMAL BATH HAVE COM PLETELY CURED ME OF MY PAIN . A S A TOKEN OF MY DEEPEST GRATITUDE TOWARDS
T H E C U R A T IV E P O W E R S O F T H E S E SP RIN G S I O F F E R T H IS T A B L E T MARY DAVIS. N E W -Y O R K 1937 ■ III * * * ~ * * ~ — » I.» * AZ Éa ÁLDÁSÁT KÉREM y, E NAGYSZERÜ HATÁSU FÜRDÖR
MELYBEN SULYOS BAJ0MTÓL CYDRSAN SZABADIIETAM MEG. ■\ 1902 AUGUSzfuS 5.
REjSMANN JOZEFA
T V . TASNÁD.
Top: mind massage in a thermal pool in Budapest and, above, thanksgiving tablets, a token of
the medicinal qualities of the Lukics baths
Large high-ceilinged cafe w ith green marble tables good fo r strudel, expresso, stuffed cabbage rolls and mixed pickles.
For assistance w ith pensions and guest houses phone IBU SZ Hotel Service (te l: 361-183925).
Sensational Submersions
Billing itself as the C ity of Baths, Budapest offers 30 medicinal baths, swimming pools and strands. Below is a list of suggested therm al retreats:
# Gellert
Kelenhegyi u t Beautiful art nouveau building at the Buda end of Szabadsag bridge. Has both swimming pools and segregated thermal pools. Massage, sauna, weight pool and other strange treatm ents provided by intimidating, reticent staff. Could be a nightmare fo r the uninitiated. Domed ceilings topped w ith yellow glass.
• Kiraly
Fo utca 82-86. Called the "King’s Bath” , this spa was partially built by the Turks in 1570 inside a town wall so the garrisoned troops could enjoy a steam. The building is built In the classical style.
4 Margitsziget“Thermal”
A t the Therm al Hotel on Margaret Island. Modern baths built on the springs of an old spa.
0 Lukács
Frankel Leo ut 25-29. Since the 16th century people have enjoyed the medicinal qualities of this spa and have left “ thanksgiving" tablets (in all languages) to express appreciation fo r th eir cures. A watering hole fo r Hungarian notables
