Balvanyos ( Hungarian: ''Bálványos'') is a spa resort in

Covasna County Covasna County (, hu, Kovászna megye, ) is a county ( județ) of Romania, in eastern Transylvania, with the county seat at Sfântu Gheorghe. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 210,177, making it the second least populous of Romania ...

, in the east of

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

, central

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

. It lies at an altitude 840–950 m on the southern slopes of the Bodoc Mountains, some 67 km from

Sfântu Gheorghe Sfântu Gheorghe (; hu, Sepsiszentgyörgy or ''Szentgyörgy'' ; yi, סנט דזשארדזש; English lit.: ''Saint George'') is the capital city of Covasna County, Romania. Located in the central part of the country and in the historical regio ...

, the county's seat. The spa is located close to the ruins of the 11th century Balvanyos Citadel ( ro, Cetatea Balvanyos, hu, Bálványosvár). The spa is one of several

hydrothermal Hydrothermal circulation in its most general sense is the circulation of hot water (Ancient Greek ὕδωρ, ''water'',Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-English Lexicon. revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry Stuart Jones. with th ...

and

volcanic A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates a ...

features of the region. It lies 10 km from the

Lake Sfânta Ana Lake Sfânta Ana (; hu, Szent Anna-tó; ) is the only crater lake in Romania located in the volcanic crater of the volcano named Ciomatu Mare of the Eastern Carpathians, near Tușnad in the Natural Reserve of Mohoș, Harghita County, Romania. ...

, which is unique in this part of Europe. A geological feature locally known as "The Birds' Cemetery" – precipice with hydrogen sulphide emanation – is also located nearby. The spa has been known for its health properties for centuries, but has only been commercially exploited as a spa since the building in 1938 of Grand Hotel Balvanyos, a 4 star hotel.

Gallery

File:Balvanyosi kapolna es borvizforras.JPG, The chapel File:SzekelykapukP0407.JPG, A Székely gate File:Bálványosvár.jpg, Balvanyos Citadel File:A torjai büdösbarlang.jpeg, Smelly cave of Torja

References

{{coord, 46.1095, N, 25.9586, E, source:wikidata, display=title Resorts in Romania Tourist attractions in Covasna County