Page 29 - Esztergom 2021

The cradle of Hungarian spa culture

Pala, Lake Spa and Ecotourism Centre

Esztergom can truly be called the cradle of Hungarian spa Lake Palatinus is located in the suburban part of Esztergom, far

culture, since King Béla III’s wife, Anna Chatillon of Antioch, from the hustle and bustle of the city centre. The lake with its

founded the country’s first public spa bath here between 1170 crystal-clear water is a paradise for those who like to swim. Th e
and 1184. In the hospital that was established here later, spa largest lake of the area, with its 32 hectares, began its career as a

bath water was used for healing purposes. Th e first hotel of the quarry pond in the 1950s, when solid sand was mined as back-

area, Fürdő Szálló (Hotel Spa), opened its doors in 1842. Based fill for the surrounding mines. In the sixties and the seventies,
on the city’s 29.6-degree thermal water, the Esztergom Savings the KISZ (Hungarian Young Communist League) Committ ee

Bank built the country’s first indoor swimming pool in 1912 us- of the Dorog Coal Mines received a permit to build a weekend
ing the designs of Kálmán Váczy-Hübschl. The photo “Under- holiday house, which was soon followed by wooden buildings

water swimmer” was taken in this pool when the world-famous constructed by the nearby plants. In recent decades, the “Pala”
photographer André Kertész tried to capture the distortion of of the locals has become a leisure centre, and a new Ecotourism
water. Between the two world wars, Esztergom was known as Centre will be opened in 2021. Catering units, shops and clubs
a spa town, and because of its spa bath, it was mentioned as the were also opened around the lake. In addition to admiring the
Baden-Baden of Budapest. Opposite the Szent István (Saint panoramic view of the mountains while swimming or walking
Stephen) Spa Bath, Aquasziget (Aqua Island) Esztergom has along the shores of the lake, you can also try water skiing, pedal
been welcoming its guests with a complete range of services, boating, or be instructed at the scuba diving base.
an adventure and open-air spa and swimming area, saunas, and
slides on Prímás (Primate’s) Island since 2005.

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