The thermal Gellert Baths Budapest hotel opened its doors in 1918 and was expanded twice before the Second World War to accommodate more facilities. A winter garden was built at the time of the hotel’s opening, only to be transformed into a swimming pool later on.
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Gellert Baths Budapest Building Style
The complex was built in an Art Nouveau style and the pool areas are decorated with world-famous Hungarian Zsolnay ceramics and tiles, while the ten windows of the great hall are made out of stained glass from the atelier of Miksa Roth.
Whenever the weather allowed it, the glass roof above the indoor swimming pool could be opened for the enjoyment of visitors.
To this day, the Gellert Baths complex is one of the most popular thermal baths in Budapest. Gellert thermal baths have been highly favored by foreigners and it attracts around 500,000 visitors per year.
Baths For Celebrities
Before the Second World War, it hosted a truly exclusive public, including the Dutch queen Juliana (who spent her honeymoon there), famous Indian author Rabindranath Tagore, American-born violinist Yehudi Menuhin, and later US president Richard Nixon. It was also a popular meeting place for Hungarian artists, actors, and politicians.
A Long History
Records of “miraculous” springs spurting up on Gellert Hill go back to the 1400’s. There are about 1,000 natural spring water sources in Hungary, but these particular springs were a popular visiting spot for the Ottoman Turks in centuries past since they were larger and hotter than most other hot springs popular in Budapest at that time. The site was named Sáros fürdő (Mud Bath) in the 17th century due to the fine silt that was pushed up together with the spring water and settled at the bottom of the pools.
Ready For A Healthy Future
The Gellert thermal baths complex has been upgraded over the years and adjusted to suit modern-day requirements. The swimming pools have been renovated and equipped with state-of-the-art water filtering and circulation devices. Almost all the healing facilities can be used, and a separate department operates like a daytime outpatient hospital. The complex also has an inhalatorium, or room in which vapors are breathed in.
| Address | Kelenhegyi út 4, 1118, Budapest, Hungary |
| Telephone | +36 1 466 6166 |
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