Hévíz Spa and the Szent András Hospital, Hévíz (English: St. Andrew's State Hospital for Rheumatology and Rehabilitation) is a

destination spa A destination spa or health resort is a resort centered on a spa, such as a mineral spa. Historically, many such spas were developed at the location of natural hot springs or mineral springs. In the era before modern biochemistry and pharma ...

in Hungary. It is located in

Hévíz Hévíz () is a spa town in Zala County, Hungary, about from the city of Keszthely. Description of the lake The town is located near Lake Hévíz, the world's second-largest thermal lake, but biologically the biggest active natural lake. ...

, on the shores of the lake of the same name.

Hévíz–Balaton Airport Hévíz–Balaton Airport , previously also known as ''Sármellék International Airport'' (), is an international airport in Hungary located west of Lake Balaton, south-southwest of the village of Sármellék, Zala County and Keszthely. It gai ...

is approximately from the town.

History

The curative effect of the lake was probably known to the

ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...

s. Coins found in the lake in the early 1980s support this supposition. Discoveries from the age of Migration suggest that the migrant German and Slavic population used the lake as well. Written sources more than 400 years old originate from the age of Ottoman occupation. The lake and its surroundings became the property of the Festetics family in the middle of the 18th century, who started its development as a spa. Earl György (I.) Festetics (between 1795 and 1797) built a thermal wooden bathing house on a float over the outflow. After the earl's death in 1819 the development of Hévíz stopped. 1 March 1868, György (II.) Festetics began building the bathing resort suitable for guests. The bath looked more or less as it does today. In 1866 the mirrorbath was built. In 1905 Vencel Reischl, a brewery owner from

Keszthely Keszthely (; also known by alternative names) is a Hungarian city of 20,895 inhabitants located on the western shore of Lake Balaton. It is the second largest city by the lake and one of the more important cultural, educational and economic hub ...

, became the tenant of the bath and remained so for 35 years. Reischl replaced the hotels, restaurants, and buildings, and the entrance of the bath was finished in 1911 together with the Zander Institution. The number of visitors increased significantly, and the facilities expanded considerably as more doctors moved to the site to practice various forms of therapy. Between 1944 and 1946 the buildings were used as a hospital, first by the German then by the

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

. In 1948 it fell under state ownership; the State Medicinal Bath, Hévíz, was established by the Ministry of Health on 1 January 1952. The number of visitors tripled then quadrupled, and the machinery of the hospital and the treatments were modernised. On 3 March 1986, the central buildings of the bath (in the lake) burnt down. In September 1989 the reconstruction of the destroyed parts was completed. Further reconstruction of the

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

and buildings was completed between 2000 and 2002. Today the area of the institution is 620,000 square metres.

References

External links

The official website of Heviz

Aerial photographs: Hévíz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heviz Spa Hospitals in Hungary Tourist attractions in Zala County Thermal baths in Hungary Buildings and structures in Zala County Spas

History

See also

References

External links