Danubius Health Spa Resort Aqua

Danubius Health Spa Resort Aqua
(former Thermal Hotel Aqua) - Hévíz

Hévíz

Hévíz

The main attraction of the town is the lake with a size of 4,4 hectares. It is the largest warm water lake of curative powers of Europe, which is embraced by 50 hectares of protective forest. According to present data the lake is 38,5 m deep. The water of the lake of Héviz is "warmed" by geothermal energy, its temperature is the result of the mixture of warm spring waters and karst water gushing forth from the depth of the earth. The temperature of the water fluctuates around 33-35 ° C during most of the summer, in autumn and winter depending on the weather the temperature of the lake is lower, but it does not drop below 22 ° C. More detailed information can be found here about the composition of the water of the lake, its curative effect, indications and contraindications.

The history of Hévíz

In the course of history almost all of the peoples that have migrated to the region of Balaton left their footprint in Hévíz and its immediate vicinity. The archaeological excavations carried out in the Egregy quarter of Hévíz in the year of 2OO1 yielded extraordinarily important results. Findings of objects bear evidence that for more than seven millennia starting from the middle Neolithic age (the end of the 6th millennium B.C.) until the Carolingian age preceding the conquest of Hungary (the 9th century A.D.) this area was inhabited continuously. The most important ancient relic is the Roman villa with corridors and with an area of nearly one thousand square meters dating back to the early imperial era, which also had central heating. The leadership of the town of Hévíz is planning the exhibition in a museum of the remnants of the building together with some of the artefacts that have been unearthed. The ''Roman grave'' of Egregy dates back to the late imperial age and furthermore so does the altar stone dedicated to Jupiter which was found near the lake of Hévíz beside the Margit - villa. On the basis of the artefacts mentioned it can be assumed that the Romans already knew the curative powers of the thermal water and the owners of the Roman villas were attracted here by this factor. In addition it was industrial purposes – processing of hemp, flax and tanning of pelts - that the water of the lake was used for.

The name Hévíz first occurred in a document dated March 28, 1328, in which the chapter of priests of the cathedral of Veszprém installs Pál Magyar, castellan of Gimes into his estate named Szentandrás - páh. In the description of the borders of the estate a place in common parlance called hévíz [hot water] was also mentioned (''ad locum vulgariter heuvyz dictum''). …The name hévíz according to the linguists means ''flowing, warm spring'' and this expression was also used in the Middle Ages in this sense. In the course of the centuries of the Middle Ages no record was discovered indicating that the water of the lake of Hévíz was used for therapy. However, the possibility of this cannot be ruled out, as ''hévízek'' were very popular in the age of Turkish occupation, especially among soldiers of the frontier suffering a great deal from arthritis. The population of the region probably used the hévíz hiding in the vastness of reeds and sedges of the swamp for occasional bathing. Sources dating from the 17th century give an account about the work activities concerning the regulation of the water resources of the valley of Hévíz in connection with the establishment of mills, which indicates the utilisation of the outflowing water.

In the course of the 18th century the lake of Hévíz rose out of obscurity and at the end of the century Hévízfürdo was born. In 1731-ben Mátyás Bél, one of the best known polymaths of Hungary at the time travelled around the region and in his description made relatively detailed account of his experiences. The first scientific analysis of the water of the spring lake of Hévíz was performed and its publication was made by Ferenc Szláby, the chief medical officer and physicist of Zala county in 1769.

Towards the end of the century the lake of Hévíz was already shown on certain maps too. On the map of the first military survey ordered by Emperor Joseph II in 1783 the lake of Hévíz was given the designation ''warm, sulphuric lake'' and the rill of the mill flowing out of it had the name ''Hévíz - creek''. The name Hévíz was first printed in 178O in the German language work of Károly Gottlieb Windisch ( ''The Geography of the Kingdom of Hungary''). Hévíz was likewise mentioned by the Hungarian geographical historical lexicon of János Mátyás Korabinszky published in 1786. The value of the valley of Hévíz was mainly represented by the mills and at certain locations the excellent crop of hay in the 18th century. The utilisation of the curative powers of the water came into the foreground in the last decade of the century, whose rediscovery and the construction of the spa and bathing facilities can be credited to Count György Festetics.

The possibility of more significant progress was ensured by the division in 1857-58 and then one decade later the contract on exchange made between the bishopric of Veszprém and Count Tasziló Festetics. Thanks to the latter the estate acquired an area suitable for construction, where it constructed the so-called "Új-telep=New settlement". Seven houses had been built near the lake by 1871-ig. The so-called "Hetes ház=Seven houses" built in 1870-71 are still standing.

Thanks to the construction activities the spa and resort steadily developed into a frequented place of national importance.

At the turn of the century the Festetics family leased out the spa for longer or shorter periods of time.

In 1898 thanks to Sándor Lovassy the teacher of the College of Agriculture of Keszthely water-lilies from India were planted into the lake. Even today the flowers are a sight of Hévíz worth seeing.

An important push was given to the development of the lake of Hévíz that in 1905 Vencel Reischl, the owner of a brewery in Keszthely leased it from the Festetics estate for 35 years.

The importance of Hévíz kept growing between the two word wars: since the bathing resorts were also annexed after the Treaty of Trianon. Hévíz became the most important spa of Hungary. Construction work continued around the lake and in 1926 the resort of pools was completed and one year later the storied bath-house on the northern bank of the lake. The building of the bath-house was covered with a glass roof mounted on an iron frame in 1931-32, thus it became completely covered and closed. The building of the big health resorts started in the middle of the 1920’s. At the time of the take-over of 1905 the cabins on the lake numbered 110, which figure rose to 680 by 1930 together with the changing rooms of 150 cabins. In 1905 the number of rooms was 74 at the resort, whereas in 1939 it was 250.

The war period and then the uncertain political situation following it and the departure of the owner Festetics family did not make possible further developments. During the years of war foreign guests almost exclusively arrived from Germany. In 1944-45 a lot of wounded soldiers were treated at the resort. In 1948 the spa of Hévíz became state owned and in the next year the restaurants also became state owned. On January 1, 1952 the Ministry of Health established the State Hospital of Medicinal Baths of Hévíz. Hévíz became the largest spa of the country where rheumatic diseases of the motor organs were treated. In the 1960’s the Hospital of Medicinal Baths was expanded and modernised. In 1965 new roads were built and parks were created.

From the middle of the 1970’s the reconstruction of the lake bathing facilities was begun – the modernisation and winterisation lasted for almost one decade. In March, 1986 the central wooden building of the covered lake bathing facilities of Hévíz caught fire and a large portion of it burned to the ground. More than two years were needed for the total renovation. The change of the political regime in 1989-90 of course resulted in a radical change also in Hévíz. The number and proportion of those arriving from the West, primarily from the German speaking countries, increased substantially. A significant part of the trade union resorts became modern and well-equipped hotels after privatisation. The 1990’s produced a higher degree of development for the town than anything so far. Hotels and restaurants were built one after the other within the scope of domestic and foreign investments.

Héviz was awarded the title of municipality on May 1, 1992. It founded its first grammar-school the István Bibó Gimnázium [grammar-school]. By the middle of the 1990’s it became the centre of its region with steadily increasing services and events. In the second half of the decade several churches were built in Hévíz. In September 1999 the new sports centre and the modern, spacious town-hall were inaugurated.

In the beginning of the 21st century Hévíz is one of the most popular dynamically developing spa of Hungary and Europe which is frequented in every season of the year.