attraction

7 most beautiful arboretums in Hungary – PHOTOS

An arboretum is a kind of botanical garden, which usually presents trees and shrubs. Its stand is usually varied: a number of species can grow even on a very small place. Arboretums may have various aims: to show rare species not native in Hungary, to save endangered species or to carry out scientific experiments. They are also useful in education but have aesthetic purposes as well. Despite its relatively small territory, Hungary is rich in arboretums. Let’s see some of them in detail!

Arboretum of Alcsút

The arboretum of Alcsút is located in Alcsútdoboz. Its building started in 1825 and it was founded by Archduke Joseph, Palatine of Hungary. The garden got renewed after 1870 when loads of pine trees and shrubs were planted there. Its current territory is 40 hectares and its main attraction is Hungary’s biggest snow-drop field, which is about 2 hectares large. It is suitable for a lazy walk in the weekend, but weddings can also be held there as it even has a chapel.

Arboretum of Alcsút
Source: alcsuti-arboretum.hu

Arboretum of Jel

This arboretum is frequently called Magic Garden. It is not surprising, as nature there is simply magical. It was founded by István Ambrózy-Migazzi in 1922, its territory is nearly 100 hectares. Its main attraction is the largest rhododendron stand in Europe. According to their website, you have a number of options on how to spend your time there: walking, biking or horse riding in the beautiful nature, hunting, fishing, rafting on River Rába or swimming in the lakes nearby. Its open hours are longer when rhododendrons are blooming.

Arboretum of Budafa

It is located in the Southern part of Zala county. The forests were owned by the Zichy family up until 1945. This is the year when the arboretum’s construction began. It had partly scientific, partly practical purpose – to show and examine plants not native in Hungary. Its current territory is 48 hectares. Zalaerdo.hu reports that the arboretum got renewed a few years ago: the hunting lodge was renovated, a new playground and a look-out tower were built. It is a perfect place to go on a trip with the whole family.

Hunting lodge in Budafa
Source: zalaerdo.hu

Playground in Budafa
Source: zalaerdo.hu

Folly Arboretum

It can be found in the Badacsony. It was founded by Dr. Gyula Folly, a doctor from Pécs in the 1900s. His aim was to collect all the species that can bear the climate and drought of that territory. It has been highly protected and part of Balaton Uplands National Park since 1997. The arboretum’s territory is around 5 hectares together with the forests nearby. It was bought back by the Folly family after the democratic transformation, and currently the Folly Winery operates there.

Arboretum of Nyírség

It is Hungary’s youngest arboretum, it was founded in 1995. It is close to Nyíregyháza, and its main purpose is to collect all the woody plants native in Hungary and also to protect them. It has a unique history: it was founded by painter Ibolya Molnár, who fell in love with the place during her trips there. She frequently painted the wonderful panorama and in 1994 she managed to buy the territory. Instead of making a ploughland out of it, she created a beautiful garden that collects a number of species.

Arboretum and Herbal Garden of the Archabbey of Pannonhalma

It was created by Fábián Szeder in the 1840s. Hundreds of trees and shrubs can be found there, most of them are very rare in Hungary. The garden is mainly for recreation and relaxation, but educational and research work is also frequently carried out there. The monks used to plant and collect those plants which are useful in healing, but the first data of researches is dating back to the beginning of the 19th century.

Arboretum of Zirc

It is the highest arboretum in Hungary, as its elevation is 400m. Its stand contains mainly deciduous trees native in the Bakony. It has been considered a protected area since 1951 and its main attraction is the Cuha stream that crosses the park. Its oldest trees are 400 years old, but most of the plants are from after the big deforestation of 1753.

Featured image: facebook / Folly Arborétum és Borászat

ce: ZsK

August 5, 2017

Gunarasfürdő – new health resort in Hungary

The National Public Health and Medical Officer Service (ÁNTSZ) has pronounced Gunarasfürdő a health resort. The bath of Dombóvár became Hungary’s thirty-third health resort, termalfurdo.hu reports.

Environment providing tranquility

According to ÁNTSZ, Gunarasfürdő is a unique place where “at least one natural health factor” can be found. It has the institutional background for healing and the necessary conditions providing tranquil healing for the patients.

The alkaline bicarbonate thermal water of Gunaras was pronounced medicinal water in 1977, and it was used for healing musculoskeletal diseases. Two medical institutions operate there: the Szent Lukács Hospital of Dombóvár and the medical centre of Gunaras Zrt.

Only after strict verification

The qualification is always preceded by strict verification. Loránd Szabó, mayor of the town in Tolna county, told MTI that both the local government of Dombóvár and the Public Health Department examined the air purity, the noise pollution and the water’s and ground’s hygienic aspects. Each of their measurements was satisfactory.

Source: facebook / Gunaras Resort SPA Hotel****

As a result of these examinations, 90 per cent (36.2 hectares) of Gunarasfürdő became a health resort. Also, another 106.9-hectare protective belt belongs to this territory. The bath of Dombóvár is Hungary’s thirty-third health resort. Two other places became health resorts in 2017: Cserkeszőlő in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county and Mátraderecske in Heves county.

What is a health resort?

According to termalfurdo.hu, a health resort does not need to have a thermal bath, though in most cases this is the health factor that determines the result of the examination made by ÁNTSZ. It is quite difficult to get this verification: an institute is always needed that makes use of the natural makings of these places and environment protection is also a key factor. Among the expectations is that these places must provide high-quality medical services and tranquility.

Although the title of health resorts is not usually valid for the whole town, just for a direct part of it, it means a huge prestige for the whole territory – tourism and infrastructure develop and the local citizens enrich. The verification is valid for 20 years, but only if the circumstances at the time of the verificaton do not change.

Health resorts in Hungary

Miskolc-Lillafüred
Eger
Harkány
Sopron
Gyöngyös-Kékestető
Hévíz
Debrecen
Balatonfüred
Parád
Hajdúszoboszló
Zalakaros
Bükfürdő
Gyula
Sárvár: Arboretum and Spa
Mezőkövesd: Zsóry Thermal Bath and Spa
Nyíregyháza-Sóstógyógyfürdő
Szigetvár
Tapolca
Kiskunmajsa
Kiskunhalas
Mórahalom
Lenti
Orosháza-Gyopárosfürdő
Nyírbátor-Szénarát
Tiszakécske
Igal
Egerszalók
Celldömölk
Kehidakustány
Cserkeszőlő
Mátraderecske
Gunarasfürdő

Featured image: facebook / Gunaras Resort SPA Hotel****

ce: ZsK

August 5, 2017

Fireworks of 20 August to change style and place in Budapest

The structure and concept of the fireworks traditionally held on 20 August will be renewed – Ákos Kara, Secretary of State for Infocommunication and Consumer Protection, Ministry of National Development, announced at the press conference on Monday. He also added that they are currently preparing for the most spectacular fireworks of the last few years, reports inforadio.hu.

The State Foundation Day is one of the most important national holidays. This is the one that attracts the most Hungarians, being also popular among Hungarians beyond the borders. Moreover, a number of tourists are always interested in this event. In accordance with this amount of interest, the organizers are preparing for the national holiday with numerous innovations and high-standard programs – the Secretary of State emphasized.

New locations: Parliament in focus

After consulting with professionals, the organizers decided to relocate the fireworks to another section of the Danube – between the Chain Bridge and the Margaret Bridge. According to Ákos Kara, many new attractions can be presented in this section of the river and the Parliament can also get a bigger role.

NUVU Kft. has won the public procurement procedure announced by Hungarofest Nonprofit Kft., being responsible for the events of the State Foundation Day. NUVU Kft. organized the fireworks of the opening ceremony of the FINA World Championships as well – they will execute the fireworks of 20 August for about 560 thousand EUR net.

“This year there will be three big and fourteen smaller launching points set up on the Danube, supported by 29 additional launches from the Chain Bridge” – Éva Leskovics, representative of NUVU Kft. and executive pyrotechnist informed the public. She also emphasized that the section between the Chain Bridge and the Margaret Bridge is satisfactory regarding both scenery and safety.

The representative also added that the 30-minutes-long show is planned by the most modern software of the industry. The rockets fit the regulations of the European Union and the fireworks can be stopped by pushing a single button, if necessary.

Further information was released at the press conference:

More visitors are expected to the celebration than ever.
This year is the first time that the national holiday’s events are organized by the Ministry of National Development.

The morning section stays unchanged

As in each year, this year’s programs will also start at Kossuth Lajos square in front of the Parliament, with the raising of the national flag accompanied by military honors. This will be followed by the graduation ceremony of military officers.

The traditional procession will be held this year as well, while the Festival of Folk Arts will be located in Buda Castle – the Secretary of State added. The press conference of 10 August at the Parliament will reveal more information. He also stated that particular attention will be paid to safety issues. The Operative Body will be responsible for the safety of the events.

ce: ZsK

August 3, 2017

One of the biggest Hungarian baths to be renewed

Büki Gyógyfürdő Zrt. will spend more than 2.6 EUR on development next year – László Attila Boros, managing director of the company, told MTI. Napi.hu reports. The developments will start in autumn.

In autumn, developments will start with the renewal of the oldest pool of Bükfürdő Health and Adventure Centre and the building of the bath‘s new main entrance. In the first months of 2018, they will also start to renovate and modernize all the indoor pools. According to their plans, the renewal of Szent Kelemen medicinal pool will be over by the end of autumn. This renewal contains the total reconstruction of its tiling, the modernizing of its hydraulic equipment and the production of new benches. The new main entrance will be ready early next year.

According to the managing director, the most striking change for visitors will be the renovation of the indoor section. This renovation also contains the reconstruction of the dressing-complex next to the new main entrance and the pools belonging to it. This latter is expected to be ready right before the new summer season. New, modern changing-rooms will be built operating with the watch system. In addition, a high-quality relaxing area will be build, which will provide a view both to the new main square and to the pools.

The development is financed by the companies own resources in 15 per cent, and by a credit of 85 per cent. They believe that the development will attract more guests, so the present rate of 890-900,000 visitors is just the beginning. They want to reach, or even exceed one million visitors per year by 2020.

The bath is also famous among foreigners: 66 per cent of the visitors are Hungarian, while 15 per cent are from Austria and another 15 per cent come from the Czech Republic. Due to the well-aimed marketing, more and more people attend the bath from Slovakia and Poland, as well.

László Attila Boros stated that the Bükfürdő Health and Adventure Centre is the second biggest medicinal bath in the country after Hajdúszoboszló. It has 34 pools with a water surface of 5927 square metres, 2315 square metres of which is indoor.

Büki Gyógyfürdő Zrt. managed to make a profit of 520,000 EUR with sales returns of 6 million EUR in 2016. They plan to have sales returns of 6.02 million EUR and a pretax income of 770,000 EUR.

Featured image: bukfurdo.hu

Ce: bm

June 21, 2017

No wonder: Hévíz is one of the most attractive destinations in Hungary

Water-lilies, steaming water even in winter, bathers swimming with joy, and characteristic buildings. This is the typical image pictured by the postcards coming from Hévíz in the past hundred years. According to these pictures, the huge bathing culture was already present at the beginning of the 1900s. Origo.hu has explored Hévíz to find out what more the town can offer beyond its wonderful bath.

Of course, everyone who visits the town starts the tour with the Thermal Lake of Hévíz. This is the biggest curative, thermal lake of Europe. From a bird’s eye view, this 4.5-hectare-big lake reminds the viewer of an enormous raindrop. It used to be a dangerous swamp, thanks to which the lake has both cold and hot springs. This results in the attractive feature of the bath that the 38-degree-hot water does not fall under 20-22 degrees in the coldest weather either. Thus, the bathing season never ends – not even in autumn or winter.

Indian water-lilies are just fine here

All the brochures of Hévíz must contain at least one photo of the wonderful water-lilies, which became the symbol of Hévíz. They are called nymphaea. They are also part of the town’s coat of arms. Sándor Lovassy, professor of Keszthely’s Academy of Economics naturalized them in 1898. These flowers came from India. The water-lilies are protected, they flourish from spring until the end of autumn. Their huge leafs moderate the lake’s steaming, while their runners protect the mud in the deep.

Bathers can smear the mud on their body, which not only cures them but also makes them more beautiful – allegedly. The medicinal water rich in minerals and the mud are said to heal locomotor disorder and rheumatic diseases successfully.

What is beyond the bath?

If you have the opportunity, you must go biking in this beautiful environment. There are bikes to rent on four points of the town. The name of this bicycle-sharing system is HeBi and people are allowed to use these professional bikes just for a 3.2 EUR caution money. If you are not fond of sports, you can try Dotto, the road train of the town. The train does its sightseeing tour from April until October and takes people to the wine taverns of Egregy.

Egregy introduces wonderful terraces, wines, tasty dishes and a beautiful panorama. It was also known by the Romans, as it is near the ancient Amber Road that used to connect the Adriatic Sea with the Baltic region. However, in addition to amber, people used to transport wine on this road, thanks to which viniculture and wine-making spread in the region of Hévíz. Traditionally, it is a region of white wines. Their main types are Welschriesling, Pinot Gris, Müller-Thurgau and Grüner Veltliner.

Flourishing viniculture in Egregy
Source: heviz.hu

Good wines require tasty dishes. Some specialities of the region worth trying are the fumu and the plutyka. Fumu sounds like a Japanese dish, but it is in fact a milk loaf with the shape of a doll. Plutyka is the local name of the boiled savoy cabbage, but tourists can also choose from a rich variety of dishes like cabbage with beans, “gombuca” with sour cream (noodle-like dish) and, of course, the zander of Balaton.

In addition to the bigger festivals in the weekends, weekly farmer’s market, folklore programs, musical and folk dance events await the tourists visiting Hévíz in the summer.

Featured image: Facebook / Hévízi Tófürdő

Ce: bm

June 20, 2017

Let’s explore Tata! – PHOTOS, VIDEO

If Hungary is the country of waters, than Tata must be the town of waters, as it became the Hungarian capital of Biodiversity in 2010. It is located in Komárom-Esztergom county, some 70 km from Budapest. It serves as a great destination for tourists. Although it is a significant railway and road junction – both the Motorway M1 from Vienna to Budapest and the railway line Budapest-Vienna pass through the town – its atmosphere is very relaxing and harmonious. Let’s explore it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm5RJjeCvis

Old Lake

It has a telling name, as this artificial lake is Hungary’s first and oldest fish pond. It is located right in the centre of Tata. It is connected to the Danube by Által-brook, therefore the town has suffered some floods through the years. The last time they measured some high water level in 2010, it was 258 cm, which is about a meter higher than the average water level of the lake. It is also significant as a natural environment, as many rare birds stop by there during their migration.

Tata Castle and Esterházy Castle

Tata Castle is located at the shore of the Old Lake, providing a beautiful view together. It was built between 1397 and 1409 by Sigismung of Luxemburg. It was in its prime during the reign of Matthias Corvinus, who rebuilt the castle in the style of the Italian water castles and used it as his summer castle.

Esterházy Castle can be found right next to the Tata Castle near the Old Lake. It was built in 1776, which dates the beginning of its complicated history. Its furniture was destroyed in 1945 by some Soviet troops, after which it served as a hospital. Today the castle is empty – there have been several plans for its appropriation, none of which was realized.

English Park

It is also located near the Old Lake. It was built in 1783 by engineer Ferenc Böhm. It was built on a territory full of springs. One of its interesting features is that the park itself hosts some ruins, which were created artificially on purpose. They provide the romantic atmosphere of the whole park. It became a protected area in 1955. It also has an open-air theatre, which has made the town known all over Hungary due to its significant open-air performances in the summer.

The ruins of English Park were created to bring about harmony.

Sightseeing Train

There are many sights in Tata which are worth seeing, and a great way for doing that is to take the sightseeing train, which shows many of them in 50 minutes. However, before you set off, check out the schedule of the train.

Water, Music, Flower Festival

If you have wondered what to do in the last weekend of June (23-25.), you are lucky, because this is the time when the Water, Music, Flower Festival is traditionally held in Tata. The festival takes place by the Old Lake, which already creates a special atmosphere for the event. Its name contains the three most important elements of the festival itself:

Water stands for the water carnival, which provides a very romantic view with many boats decorated by lanterns and the sight of Tata Castle at the shore. Flower stands for the floral design competition, which takes place in the Castle, while music obviously marks the several concerts the festival will provide. It is a perfect opportunity not only to see the town with all its sights, but also to take part in the cultural life of this wonderful town. For further information, check out the festival’s program.

Ce: bm

June 19, 2017

Islands of the Danube around Budapest

Hungary is the country of waters, that is for sure, and there is no doubt the Danube plays an important role in Budapest’s life. There are some islands of the Danube which are famous among tourists, just to mention Margaret Island, but it is usually forgotten that there are many-many other islands worth seeing. Here we give a non-exhaustive list of some islands near Budapest, which are all little treasure-chests on their own.

The famous one – Szentendre Island

Let’s start the list with a quite famous island, namely the Szentendre Island. It is a 31-kilometre-long island on the Danube North of Budapest. In addition to the several ploughlands, orchards and vineyards located there, it is quite rich in waters, thus it’s most important role is to supply Budapest and the neighbouring towns with water.

Although it has rich flora and fauna – with 25 protected plants –, it is not cut from civilisation. A number of towns an villages can be found on the island, such as Kisoroszi, Szigetmonostor or Surány.

The real survivor – Lupa Island

Lupa Island is a tiny but wonderful island West of Szentendre Island. It is generally known that the island has gone through some hard times due to the floods. Perhaps the big flood of 1945 was the most devastating among all.

The water of the Danube got so high that on the one hand it destroyed the terraced houses on the Eastern shore, and on the other hand it built the Western shore further, where trees started to grow covering the view from the houses. Luckily, the local people have learnt to live with the danger of floods, and the life on the island is peaceful again.

The historic one – Helemba Island

This island can be found near Esztergom right next to the Slovakian border. It is special because it has a number of important archeological records. Prehistoric houses, relics from the Middle Ages and a tiny church of the Árpád era can be found there. But if this is not enough, it was really a witness of history, as the representatives of the Habsburg Empire and the Ottoman Empire were negotiating there about peace – unsuccessfully – in 1599. It also took part in the famous Treaty of Trianon: it remained Hungarian territory marking the border between Hungary and Slovakia.

The professional one – Miller Island

This island is located on the Soroksári branch of the Danube. There used to be numerous water mills on the river, this is why it is called Miller Island. These water mills provided jobs for the local people. However, the Danube was not controlled at that time, thus the island used to be flooded at least once a year. Yet this could not mean any trouble for the millers, as many of the mills were so-called boat mills, which could easily float on the surface and the millers could get to them by boats as well. Local people carried the flour to the capital also by boats.

The one for festival lovers – Óbuda Island or Hajógyári Island

Besides Margaret Island, probably this one is the most famous island of Budapest, as this is the place that annually hosts the world-famous Sziget Festival since 1993. It belongs to District III of the capital.

Although the Festival is really good for the country’s economy and tourism, it causes some harm for the local environment. Yet, the island’s flora and fauna are still significant: some 200-year-old trees can be found there, and it is generally known that migratory birds tend to stop by on the northernmost part of the island. One thing is clear: somehow all creatures – let it be human, animal or plant – simply love this place.

June 11, 2017

The ten most spectacular theatres of Hungary

It is hard to image how many historical events, critical and carefree periods are connected to Hungarian theatres. Nlcafe.hu could not introduce all of them, but made a list instead, of 10 theatres worth visiting.

Comedy Theatre of Budapest – gem of the capital since the Monarchy

The Comedy Theatre of Budapest is a gem of the capital since 1896. The construction lasted one year and the building reflects the architectural style of the age with, for example, the driveway in front of the entrance, the ornamental gilt hall, the radial flights of stairs or the beautifully created boxes. The performances are going on on three stages in the theatre that can host an audience of 1700 people. The Comedy Theatre attracts several people with world premières of both national and international plays, evergreen musicals and actors, actresses and directors like Enikő Eszenyi or Róbert Alföldi.

Comedy Theatre of Budapest
(Hungarian: Vígszínház)

The speciality of the pedestrian precinct: the National Theatre of Pécs

The National Theatre of Pécs began its operation in 1895, the building of the Monarchy era has served the artists and the audience without any problems for 90 years. However, in 1986, it became perilous and needed a total restoration. It could reopen in 1991 with a somewhat new exterior, and by that time the theatre got a modern revolving stage and a special light, voice and video system. The building opens from the pedestrian precinct of Pécs and a beautifully illuminated fountain stands in front of it.

The building of the National Theatre of Miskolc is unique in a number of respects

The building of the National Theatre of Miskolc has been standing in the centre of Miskolc for not less than one and a half centuries, since 1857. The theatre was built in the spirit of Classicism and Romanticism and became one of the first stone theatres in Hungary. Its construction lasted ten years and it has a number of curiosities regarding its design. The basement of the theatre originally hosted some shops so that the theatre’s operation could be covered by their income. It is also interesting that a fire tower was built at the top of the theatre. The building was reconstructed several times, it got its final form and size – which is twice the size of the original building – in the 1990s. Since then, the prose, musical and dance performances are put on stage with the help of the most modern techniques.

The National Theatre at the bank of the Danube as a strange ship

The first National Theatre was opened in 1837 operating as the Hungarian Theatre of Pest for some time. It moved from the Astoria to the Blaha Lujza Square, then to a number of temporary places, but since 2000 a totally new building hosts the theatre. The building reminiscent of a ship is located near Rákóczi Bridge on the Pest-side bank of the Danube, and its construction lasted for only 15 months. Plays are performed on five stages, one of which is a special revolving stage, and on an additional outdoor stage built at the bank of the Danube. The builders of National Theatre made an effort to use exclusively natural materials, which means they used mainly limestone, granite and wood. A park was also created around the building where the statues of legendary Hungarian actors can be found, for example the statues of Zoltán Latinovics and Kálmán Latabár.

Katona József Theatre of Kecskemét as the result of the artistic revolution of the Dual Monarchy

During the Monarchy era, a cultural revolution and a craze of building theatres was going on in Hungary. Kecskemét was not left out either, where the theatre named after József Katona started its operation in 1916, 101 years ago. It was built in the spirit of Eclecticism with Neo-Baroque ornaments, while the interior design uses the colours of gold and claret. In front of the building the Holy Trinity statue is placed, which was created in baroque style in the memory of the devastation of plague in the town.

József Katona Theatre of Kecskemét with the Holy Trinity statue

The National Theatre of Szeged burnt down right after its opening

The National Theatre of Szeged built in 1883 has a very interesting past, as the original building burnt down two years after its opening, thus it needed to be reconstructed immediately after its inauguration in 1886. It is nearly grotesque that it happened right after it bought the leftover scenery of the Ringtheater of Vienna after it – as well – was burnt down. The present building provides a sight for the gods. The statues of the Muses are placed on the facade, and even the frescos on the ceiling were named Muse, Tragedy, Dance and Music.

The Gergely Csiky Theatre of Kaposvár is a real secessionist wonder

The Gergely Csiky Theatre of Kaposvár is an outstanding representative of the Hungarian secessionist architecture. It was opened in 1911, and it was able to host 860 people. The building was reconstructed and restored several times until it got its present form. When visiting the theatre in the centre of the town, people can also inspect the Theatre Park around the building, which is the favourite meeting place of the local people with its fountains.

Csokonai Theatre of Debrecen built after some fires

The first stone theatre of Debrecen was opened in 1865 after a number of temporary locations. It was necessary because the former locations burnt down. The building constructed in the spirit of Romanticism has been reconstructed a few times since then, last time in 1982. This time the theatre was supplemented by elements of the modern technique, thus becoming a special place of the Hungarian theatrical art. Such celebrities started their career in the Csokonai Theatre as László Mensáros or Zoltán Latinovics.

One of the first Hungarian stone theatres: Petőfi Theatre in Sopron

Although Petőfi Theatre of Sopron built in 1840 is one of the first Hungarian stone theatres, the present building is identical with the original building regarding only its main walls, since in 1909 it was totally reconstructed. As a result, the town got a modern and unique theatre with a huge auditorium, beautiful upholstery and splendid glass chandelier. Historical events did some harm to the theatre, therefore it was renovated in 1992 keeping its original Secession style.

The Hungarian State Opera House represents the immortality of arts and music

The Hungarian State Opera House designed by Miklós Ybl is one of the main attractions of Budapest. The building inaugurated in 1884 can narrate several memories, as it survived two world wars, some revolutions and strikes. The Opera House built in the spirit of Neo-Renaissance pays its respects to the immortality of arts and music with all its elements such as its interior design made of marble, its decorative stairs, frescos and statues on the facade. A number of world-famous Hungarian singers started their career here, for example Erzsébet Házy, György Melis and Magda Kalmár, while foreign representatives of the world of opera sang here as well, such as Luciano Pavarotti and Montserrat Caballé.

Ce: bm

June 4, 2017

Hagymatikum: water park of Makó got five stars – PHOTOS

The thermal bath of Makó is obviously the most monumental work of the architect Imre Makovecz, according to termalfurdo.hu. This splendid organic building is awaiting guests with 18 pools and an exclusive sauna world. The water park of Hagymatikum was recently qualified with five stars, while its thermal bath with four stars.

The baths of Makó was one of those ten Hungarian institutions that received the national certification mark at the general assembly of the Hungarian Spa Association in May. The water park providing carefree recreation for the whole family got five stars, while the thermal bath received four stars.

Hagymatikum
Source: Makói Hagymatikum Fürdő facebook

Unique combination: medicinal waters and medicinal mud

The Hagymatikum Thermal Bath celebrating its 5th birthday this year provides relief for people seeking recovery with the power of the medicinal waters of Makó and the medicinal mud of Maros. The mud of Maros can oficially use the qualification medicinal mud since 1961; it is recommended in case of locomotor or rheumatic diseases – just like Makó’s alkaline bicarbonate medicinal waters of 41 degrees.

Hagymatikum from the inside
Source: Makói Hagymatikum Fürdő facebook

Spa doctors also help the recovery, while the wonderful wellness department provides the experience of recreation for families and friends.

Weekends are usually coloured with several discounts, various programs and stars. The Hagymanó department for kids provides programs for the smallest ones.

Hagymanó department for the smallest ones
Source: Makói Hagymatikum Fürdő facebook

Sauna seances every day

Eight different saunas and a steam bath are awaiting guests in one of Hungary’s biggest sauna parks in Makó. In addition to the ordinary Finnish, infrared, light and aroma saunas, guests can find real specialities such as medicinal herb, Makó, lowlander and kelo saunas. Sauna masters make every day of the week special with their seances, where the recreation is provided by various pouring and fanning techniques.

Incredible sauna experience
Source: Makói Hagymatikum Fürdő facebook

From May to September, guests can use the outdoor pools and slides as well.

Outdoor section of Hagymatikum
Source: Makói Hagymatikum Fürdő facebook

Some development will also take place in the near future, which will enlarge the spa with further pools, a family zone and a restaurant section.

Featured image: facebook

Ce: bm

June 2, 2017

The seven wonders of Transylvania

After more than 20 thousand votes and 100 thousand page impressions, it finally turned out what the most popular wonders of Transylvania are – reports transindex.ro.

The voting of the initiative 7 wonders of Transylvania was closed at Sunday midnight, thus it turned out which the most popular Transylvanian wonders are, out of the 34 wonders that were were recommended by the experts, public figures and non-governmental organizations.

The Red Lake and the Bicaz Gorge received the most votes (1550), but both Lake Sfânta Ana (1484) and Turda Gorge (1004) got more than 1000 votes in the “competition” launched in May. The seven wonders also contain the Székelykő of Torockó, the boron water and mofetta of Székely Land, the statue of Virgin Mary of Șumuleu Ciuc (Csíksomlyó) and the Ursu of Sovata.

Lake Sfânta Ana
(Hungarian: Szent Anna-tó)

Click for the result of the vote

The main goal of the common initiative of Transindex and GoTransylvnia – which is available at erdelyicsodak.transindex.ro or by the mobile app of GoTransylvania – was not to choose the 7 wonders but rather to introduce and popularize all of the candidates.

The interest in the initiative was so high that more than 20 thousand votes were given, while more than 80 other Transylvanian wonders were recommended by the voters (more than 200 people took this opportunity) which were not included in the original list of the 34 wonders. Most people recommended the Artists’ Colony at Nagybánya.

The website registered 99,090 page impressions all together in less than a month’s time, on the basis of the IP addresses, most people visited the page from Budapest, Cluj-Napoca (Kolozsvár), Târgu Mureș (Marosvásárhely), Bucharest and Miercurea Ciuc (Csíkszereda). Regarding countries, of course, Romania and Hungary are first on the list, but more than a thousand people visited the page from Germany and Great Britain. Furthermore, many people from the United States, Austria and Slovakia were interested in the initiative. The age group of 35-44 was the most active (23% of the visitors), and 55% of the visitors was female.

The initiative will be continued, the work is already in progress to make the page trilingual, to plan some routes touching the wonders and to involve the wonders recommended by the readers. The GoTransylvania app is also close to be updated.

Ce: bm

June 1, 2017

Five wonderful mills in Hungary

There was a time when owning a mill was not only acknowledged, but also provided a good way of earning money, say magyarmuzeumok.blog.hu. Until today the number of mills has rapidly decreased and most of them function as museums.

Yet, if so, it is clearly worth visiting these places, because we can get to know how they operated and what roles they played back in the days, and also because there is something romantic in visiting a place where these mills are still working and listening to the gentle gurgling of the water.

In the second half of the 19th century, 13,500 watermills and ship mills could be found in Hungary, but the economic development dished the chances of the miller profession, so this craft slowly died out in the country, which resulted in the decay of the mills as well. Wikipedia lists around 155 mills of this kind, only 1 per cent of which is more than 150 years old, although the list is not complete.

Here are only five of them to arouse the interest and recommend some great programs. More information can be found on malmok.hu, patakmalom.shp.hu and Wikipedia.

Schulter mill – Velem

The mill of Velem has been standing in the region Őrség since 1568, first as a property of the Batthyányi family, then of the Sibrik family before it was torn down in 1913 in order to be reconstructed in 1919. Some also call it the mill of Rit, Réty, or Rét, but also Schulter – or Sulter – mill. It was taken into public ownership in 1950, then in order to save the building it was declared an industrial monument and its renovation started in 1980. The mill is still in running order today, and every now and then a presentation is given on how the mill looked like during its operation once.

Watermill of Muzsaj – Röjtökmuzsaj

The watermill built by György Széchenyi is from the 17th century, its speciality is that one third of the mill is built on piles like the houses of Venice, Italy. After changing owners a few times it became the property of the Bausz family, but despite the many developments, it finished to mill grain in 1951. After the death of the owner the mill became the property of the owner of the caste. Today an inn and a museum are operating inside.

Watermill of Muzsaj
Photo: osztalykirandulas.hu

Watermill of Túristvándi

One of the oldest and most famous mills of Hungary is the watermill of Túristvándi, which was already mentioned in 1181, although it is not entirely clear whether those writings are about a watermill or about an ordinary one. A good 150 years later, however, it is mentioned as a watermill. The mill was owned by the Kölcsi, Kölcsei, then the Kende family of Kölcs from 1344 up until 1944. It survived the great wars and although it suffered huge losses, it could be renovated between 1963 and 1977, thus this uncommon building can be visited today.

Ship mill of Ráckeve

Visiting a mill does not necessary mean going far away from Budapest. This mill allows us to inspect the history of the river mills instead of stream mills. Hoewever, the mill of Ráckeve was constructed in 2006 because all the earlier ones were destroyed, mainly because of the ice-floes. The mill of today was reconstructed on the basis of written records, photos and drawings, therefore it became authentic and cherishes the memory of the building where our ancestors have worked for many hours every day.

Watermill – Nagybörzsöny

The Antal-type watermill built in 1851 got the energy to mill from the Börzsöny stream, and it was not only a mill but also a stable. Just like the others, it was in running order until the middle of the 20th century, but only the people of Börzsöny used it in the summer and early autumn when it milled 12-16 quintals a day. Today it is only a beautiful memory of those days, at present an exhibition about the milling industry can be found inside.

Watermill of Nagybörzsöny
Photo: turistamagazin.hu

Ce: bm

May 14, 2017

Fire towers worth visiting in Hungary

Did you know, that there are very high and even leaning fire towers in Hungary? Or, that there is also one, that is part of a house? Szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu introduces some of them that are worth the climb.

“Fire tower” is already a telling name, since it immediately reveals its secret: these towers were built once to enable people to keep a careful watch on the neighbourhood. It was the fire lookout’s duty to give signals if fire had broken out somewhere. An alarm bell was usually found in the tower which was rung in case of danger. Its function did not disappear, some countries still use fire towers.

Fire towers were also built in many places in Hungary. Fortunately, some of them are still standing, and what’s even more, they were restored and the most famous ones can also be visited. True, though, it is mainly the view which the towers provide that attracts tourists. If you have the chance, climb the many-many stairs leading to the top, because the scenery is worth the efforts.

Here we recommend some of the famous fire towers of Hungary among which are the highest and the leaning ones, and also one that is part of a house.

Fire tower of Sopron

The 58 metre high fire tower towering above the houses became an emblem of the town. The structure standing on Main Square was built in the 13rd century. It was serving through many years, but was reconstructed by the time the City Hall was built in the 19th century due to problems of statics. The renovated fire tower was opened in 2012 in its original form.

It originally functioned as a city tower, but there opinions according to which a barbican stood here already in the Árpád era. The building was constantly transformed, therefore Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque elements can be simultaneously found in it. An alarm bell is also part of the tower, while a double-headed eagle sitting on a ball serves as a weather-cock on the top.

In the 16th century fire outlooks gave signals by lanterns at night and by flags during the day in case fire broke out. Later trumpeters took over their duty and gave signals by music whenever enemies, guests or trade carriages arrived. They also indicated time, trumpets blared out in every fifteen minutes to indicate the passing of time. The tower also got a clock which was handled by the watch.

The tower burnt down in 1676 and was rebuilt by public subscription. The fire tower also became the symbol of loyalty. The town decided by means of a referendum in 1921 that it would rather belong to Hungary. The baroque style gate and the sculpture Hungaria were built in commemoration of this event.

After climbing 200 steps of the spiral staircase one can reach the balcony where the fire outlooks were looking for danger long ago. The view is absolutely fascinating from here.

Fire tower of Szécsény

The Baroque style fire tower was built in the 18th century. It was made of wood at first, but its offspring was made of stone in the 1820s. The fire tower got its final form in 1893. During the reconstructions the original Baroque onion dome disappeared.

A bomb blasted 80 metres away from the tower in World War II, many believe that the building bent because of that. Still, according to experts, it was the clay layor of the ground that slipped and caused the bending. Today an exhibition on the history of fire service can be found inside.

Fire tower of Veszprém

The fire tower of Veszprém is one of the oldest buildings of Veszprém and also the emblem of the town.

The 48 metres high structure was built in the Middle Ages. Its basement is from the 13th century. Fortunately, it served as a fire tower already in the Turkish era in the windy town where fire spread rapidly, thus they did not destroy it.

The Fire-Engine House was built next to it in the 19th century, which served as a fire station storehouse. It was heavily damaged during the earthquake of 1810, thus it needed some reconstruction. The coat of arms of Hungary can be found on the pinnacle.

The clock signals the time in every fifteen minutes, while it plays a Verbunkos in every hour. A great view of Veszprém can be seen from the top of the tower.

Fire tower of Szatmárnémeti

The 45 metres high tower was opened in 1904 and renovated in 2005. It is worth climbing up, since the panorama is fascinating.

Fire tower of Ráckeve

The fire tower is part of the old town hall and serves today as a lookout tower. The panorama is simply beautiful from this 40 metres height.

Photos: Wiki Commons and facebook

Ce: bm

May 13, 2017

Fascinating Hungarian castle on a volcanic hill

One of the most beautiful castles of Hungary can be found in the northernmost area of the country, and no mistake, tells magyarmuzeumok.blog.hu. Yet what welcomes us here is nearly the same as how we pictured the castles of fairy tales as a child.

Füzér is a village in the northern part of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, right at the Slovakian border. Many would not even know its name, were it not for its unique tourist attraction yet known by only a few. Though the castle of Füzér is a miracle itself!

First of all, it is placed on a volcanic hill which raises the castle above the village, thus creating the typical position of a fairy tale castle. Moreover, it is one of the oldest castles of Hungary, according to sources, it already existed at the time of the Mongol invasion, but certain information about the castle only comes from 1264. According to the suppositions, it was built by the kindred of Aba in the Árpád era, but owners changed several times through the years.

Andrew II of Hungary bought it from the Abas, while after the Mongol invasion the castle got back to its original owners. Later Charles I of Hungary decided to monopolize and give it to the Italian family Drugeth of French origins who helped him to get the Hungarian throne, and Sigismund of Luxemburg did the same with the family Perényi, after coming to power.

Here two interesting things need to be mentioned, which only a few know about. One of them is that Péter Perényi is believed to have hidden the crown in the castle for a year after the coronation of John Szapolyai in 1526. The other one is that it has never belonged to the Ottoman Hungary, therefore it has never served as a strategic unit.

Nevertheless, the castle standing peacefully could not avoid its tragic faith. The Perényis were followed by the Báthory and the Nádasdi families, but due to the activity of Ferenc Nádasdi in the Wesselényi conspiracy, the castle was confiscated while its owner was beheaded. After that, the imperial troops completely ruined the castle, saying though it has no strategic significance, it must not be used for another conspiracy. Its remains were plundered, while the rocks were taken away mainly by local people.

Fortunately, it was re-discovered during the Hungarian Reform Era after realizing that it was an important relic of the national history, yet, until the 20th century, it remained only the romantic ruins of a castle immortalized by several paintings. In 1977 archaeologists István Feld and Juan Cabello began to excavate it, but their project was left unfinished because of the lack of sources. The excavation could only go on after 1992, while the complete reconstruction was started in the XXI. century by the plans of the age. Today the castle is resplendent in almost its original state, surrounded by the marvelous scenery of a fairy tale.

Ce: bm

May 12, 2017

Here are all low-cost flights from Budapest

Kalandlista.en has collected the destinations of the most important budget airlines setting off from Budapest. Although Budapest is a very attractive destination itself, it is good to know where else we can go taking Budapest as a starting point.

Low-cost flights have become quite popular recently among travelers. They are attractive mainly because they are cheap. Those who know exactly where to travel and what to see can take the most advantage of them. Low-cost flights are the cheapest if you book them very early, however, changing the dates afterwards can be expensive. You can have one hand-luggage for the price and you have to give up such comforts as food and drinks, though you can buy them on the plane if necessary. All in all, these flights provide really good value for money – they are the best if you just pack what is necessary and set out to explore the world. Let’s see what you can explore.

These budget airlines below schedule flights regularly from Budapest at present:

easyJet:
www.easyjet.com/en
Amsterdam / Basel / Berlin / Genf / London / Lyon / Paris / Venice

Eurowings:
www.eurowings.com/en.html
Düsseldorf / Hamburg / Köln-Bonn / Stuttgart

Flybe:
www.flybe.com
London Southend

Jet2.com:
www.jet2.com
East Midland / Edinburgh / Leeds Bradford / Manchester

Norwegian Airlines:
www.norwegian.com/en/
Copenhagen / Helsinki / London Gatwick / Oslo / Stockholm

Pegasus Airlines:
www.flypgs.com/en
Istanbul

Ryanair:
www.ryanair.com/gb/en/
Athens / Barcelona / Bergamo / Berlin / Brussels / Billund / Bristol / Copenhagen / Corfu / Dublin / East Midland / Eliat / Gran Canaria / London Stansted / Madrid / Malaga / Manchester / Malta / Milan / Nürnberg / Paris / Pisa / Rome / Tampere / Venice

Transavia:
www.transavia.com/en-EU/home/
Paris / Rotterdam

Vueling Airlines:
www.vueling.com/en
Barcelona

Wizz Air:
wizzair.com
Alghero / Alicante / Baku / Barcelona / Bari / Bergen / Birmingham / Bologna / Brussels Charleroi / Bukarest / Burgas / Catania / Cluj-Napoca / Corfu / Dortmund / Dubai / Eindhoven / Faro / Frankfurt Hahn / Fuerteventura / Glasgow / Göteborg / Hannover / Ibiza / Iráklion / Karlsruhe Baden-Baden / Kiev Zhulyany / Kutaisi / Lamezia / Lanzarote / Lisbon / Liverpool / London Luton / Larnaka / Madrid / Malaga / Malmö / Marosvásárhely / Milan / Moscow / Malta / Naples / Nice / Palma de Mallorca / Podgorica / Porto / Pristina / Reykjavik / Rhodes / Rome / Stockholm / Sarajevo / Skopje / Sofia / Tel-Aviv / Tenerife / Thessaloniki / Tirana / Warsaw / Zakynthos

Photo: Daily News Hungary

Ce: bm

May 5, 2017

Budapest plays itself in the Bollywood love story – VIDEO

According to inforadio.hu, the latest production of the Indian film studio Bollywood, the movie Raabta is expecting a big success with 20 million spectators. Its specialty is that it was shot in Budapest and the plot also takes place in the Hungarian Capital – reported the Budapest Festival and Tourism Centre.

Budapest is a popular shooting scene among foreign film-makers. The versatile capital with its streets and buildings easily reviving different atmospheres and eras is regarded as an excellent and, last but not least, a cheap scene. Budapest has already played the gleaming Paris and the ruined East Berlin, but it only rarely played itself. Raabta is the latest production of the Indian film studio Bollywood, which was shot in Budapest, and its plot takes place in the Hungarian capital as well.

The backgrounds and the scenes representing the city may represent many of our significant touristic attractions. Therefore, the Budapest Festival and Tourism Centre helped choosing the scenes by means of marketing resources on the intervention of its Indian partner tourism company Robinville.

In addition, the Budapest Festival and Tourism Centre regularly confers with the representatives of Indian tourism companies about the opportunities, attractions and cultural programs of Budapest. The tourism company of the capital regards this activity as a significant task, because more and more tourists are coming from India to Budapest.

This dynamic rise will hopefully be further increased by the movie Raabta, expecting numerous spectators. Its debut in the cinemas is set on 9th June.

The movie was directed by Dinesh Vijan, starring Sushant Singh Rajput and Kriti Sanon, who are considered to be big stars in India.

Photo: youtube

Ce: bm

April 24, 2017

Fairy-tale town made of gingerbread in Debrecen

As travelo.hu reports there is a small town made of gingerbread in Aquaticum Termál & Wellness Hotel in Debrecen, which was made by József Mile, world champion professional chef, and his team.

The carefully decorated houses and buildings try to evoke the sweet mood of the fairy-tale world at 2.5×2.5 square metres in the second-floor hall of the hotel. 140 kg flour, a thousand eggs, 29 kg honey, 160 kg icing sugar, four kg cinnamon, 18 kg butter and one kg clove were used to build the town.

[button link=”https://dailynewshungary.com/hungarian-village-built-gingerbread/” color=”purple” newwindow=”yes”] Related article: A HUNGARIAN VILLAGE BUILT FROM GINGERBREAD[/button]

The classical motives connected to the holidays were kept in the composition, but the space between the detailed buildings and coniferous woods is filled with joyful gingerbread figures, deer, and the clattering of an small train that never gets tired.

Photo: Aquaticum Termál & Wellness Hotel

Copy editor: bm

December 13, 2016

Nagy Futam 2016: an overview – Photos, Video

Autosforum.hu gives an overview of the happenings at this year’s Nagy Futam in Budapest. The event gets more and more popular every year, this time also hundreds of thousands of people visited the locations to see the best Hungarian and international motor sports competitors.

Autosforum talked to Zsolt Gyulay, director and CEO of Hungaroring Sport Zrt., who said that, thanks to the great popularity of technical sports – which was visible at this event too – they could extend their contract with Formula 1 for 5 more years. He also mentioned the new asphalt of the racetrack as a major improvement, just like the fact that, from next week on, a new Volán bus line will transport the visitors to Hungaroring, thus making it more accessible by public transport.

The event was visited by a former Formula 1 legend, Gerhard Berger, who entertained the audience through driving a BRM, a classic F1 car. Then, he joined Karl Wendlinger and Patrick Friesacher in the Nascars, who heightened the atmosphere by releasing pink, blue and white smoke clouds from the cars. Berger confessed how he has always loved coming to Budapest, as he has visited the city earlier as a competitor. Back then, he said, it was special to come here, because it meant going beyond the Iron Curtain for the first time.

Also, he highlighted how welcoming and interested the audience were towards him and his partners. Thus, it is not surprising that he is always glad when he has to come to Hungary. The Nagy Futam was really enjoyable for him and he was enthralled by the BRM and its technique, even though he said he was too tall for such a narrow car.

Furthermore, pilots of DTM, Miguel Molina (Audi), Lucas Auer (Mercedes) and Martin Tomczyk (BMW) made the grounds for the return of the German Touring Car Championships in September to the Hungaroring. Norbert Michelisz also participated in the event, however, with his street used Honda, because his race car is already on its way to Morocco. He also expressed his love for the Nagy Futam and mentioned how amazing it is always to see so many people in Hungary who love motor sports.

Zsolt Baumgartner, Hungary’s only F1 pilot told the site that such street events make motor sports more relatable for people, and, as the attendance at the Nagy Futam is free of charge, anyone may go and meet their favourites, while getting a truly abiding memory.

Also, in the audience some of the Hungarian athletes, preparing for the Olympics, could have been found alongside members of the national football team, who are preparing for the participation in the European Championships. Just to name a few: Dániel Gyurta, Tibor Benedek, Viktor Nagy, Balázs Dzsudzsák, Sándor Torghelle, Roland Juhász, Róbert Feczesin and László Nagy were among the spectators of the Nagy Futam and giving out some autographs for fans.

Photos: MTI

Copy editor: bm

May 3, 2016

A Ferrari crashed into the barriers at the Nagy Futam

On Sunday, the 1^st of May the race of high performance cars, the Nagy Futam (“Great Race”) was held in Budapest, writes index.hu.

The site shares the videos and the photographs of a reader, who attended the event, and told that the cars passed many sights, including the Várkert Bazár (Budapest Castle Bazaar), where an accident happened, probably because of the cobbled pavement.

One of the vehicles slipped and hit the thin wire fences, almost seriously harming the spectators, including kids, behind the fences, which can be seen in the video below.

According to the report, nothing happened after the accident, none of the organizers went there to check whether everyone was fine, nor to fix the damaged cordon. Hence the reader sent the visuals to Index.com to call attention to the shortcomings of the organization of the event.

Later, the organizers published a statement, in which they write that, unfortunately, a smaller incident has happened at the show, as a Ferrari touched a cordon with its back wing, which resulted in the cordon hitting five spectators.

Copy editor: bm

May 2, 2016