A special feature of the spa is a section based on Imre Makovecz's drawings, evoking the mythical world of Atlantis.Continue reading
The refurbished main building of the Gyula Castle Spa (southeastern Hungary) was inaugurated on Wednesday, with the town spending HUF 1 billion (EUR 2.5 million) on the investment.
János Nagy, State Secretary in charge of the Prime Minister’s Office, said at the inauguration ceremony that the government is working to make Hungary a meeting point between North and South, East and West in industry and tourism. “The Gyula Castle Spa is close to achieving this,” he noted.
Ernő Görgényi, Mayor of Gyula, stressed that since 2010, the town has been developing with the aim of strengthening its four-season character, as tourism directly or indirectly provides the livelihood of thousands of people in the town. The first step in this direction was the construction of the Aqua Palota (Aqua Palace) in 2010, which increased the number of visitors by a factor of one and a half from less than 100,000 in the 2010 low season to almost 200,000 in 2023.
Aqua Palota. Photo: Facebook/Gyulai Várfürdő
He added that Gyula’s municipal companies are also making improvements from their own resources, and the castle spa used their 2023 after-tax profit of HUF 476 million (EUR 1.2 million) to reconstruct two pools, and to expand the solar park and reopen a thermal well, which is used to heat the 50-meter pool. An automatic irrigation system was installed in the park, covering several hectares, he said.
The renewed main building. Photo: MTI/Lehoczky Péter
The mayor also noted that a new children’s water park had been built with HUF 3 billion (EUR 7.7 million) thanks to the Kisfaludy Program, and now the main building had been renovated and extended by around 1,000 square meters, with the rheumatology department moving to the hospital.
The number of lockers has been increased, a new toilet block has been built, and a new massage room and restaurant have been created. Moreover, the resting area has also been enlarged. “But the improvements will not stop there,” the Mayor said. The renovation of the Riding Hall, built in 1833, will soon start, and a new thermal bath will also be built.
Photo: Facebook/ Dr. Kovács József
In his speech, József Kovács, Member of Parliament, recalled that Gyula had a Turkish bath as early as the early 1500s and a steam bath in the late 1800s. The Castle Spa opened on May 1, 1959, and its water was certified as medicinal water in 1970.
Via MTI, Featured image: Facebook/Gyulai Várfürdő