The online edition of the British newspaper Mirror ranked the Széchenyi Thermal Bath in Budapest as one of the seven best thermal baths in Europe. The 7-member list published on 11 January 2023 includes another Hungarian location, Hévíz as well, and in addition to the two Hungarian ones, there are also Swiss, Icelandic, French, English and Greek spas.

"Greece, Switzerland, Britain, France and Hungary have some of the warmest, steamiest and most beautiful thermal spas in the world, with many of them boasting of extra medicinal qualities," they said in the introduction to the compilation.

In the article "Europe's best thermal spas from Iceland's iconic Blue Lagoon to Budapest's baths", the Széchenyi Thermal Bath is described as follows: "It is the largest medicinal bath in Europe and the third largest in the world, and is part of a complex containing 21 pools, including three outdoor, one indoor and one with a wave machine.” They mention the bath's Neo-Baroque building and its medicinal water.

Bird's eye view of the Széchenyi Thermal Bath (Photo: Civertan)

The Széchenyi Thermal Bath was designed by Győző Czigler and opened in 1913. The building was expanded in 1927 according to plans by Imre Francsek Jr.

The Széchenyi Thermal Bath in the 1930s (Photo: Fortepan/No.: 13138)

Source: mirror.co.uk, Pestbuda

Cover photo: The monument building of the Széchenyi Thermal Bath (Photo: szechenyifurdo.hu)