Largest thermal spa lake in Europe
The first reaction to Lake Héviz that I recall was from my grand-daughter, Maddie, who asked: “Grampa, why do all the people have floaters?”
We had just booked through the entrance and changing rooms and exited onto the grassy, leafy areas surrounding the lake, when she spotted all the people in the lake lazily bobbing up and down on their multi-coloured floaters.
It was quite a unique sight. You see, the lake is deep – in fact there are no places to stand. The lake is 118 feet deep in the center. You either swim, bob up and down in your floater, or hang on to the ample supply of concrete-and-wood pylons. However, no one, well almost no one, does any swimming. It’s too tiring, what with the water temperature of 86°F in summer. So, people bob and enjoy the warm water – after all, this is what they have all come for, and us, well, we just like to bob up and down in the warm waters as well. You will too.
Lake Héviz is BIG, covering almost thirteen acres, easily allowing a few hundred people to enjoy the warm waters without bumping into each other – well, not much, anyway. People come, prepared for a day’s picnic-in-a-bathing-suit. You cannot bring food and drinks onto the site, though substantial lunches, including beer and wine can be purchased in the concession within the Lake Park. Day pass costs $25 CDN and lockers, loungers and chairs are included in the price of admission.
When they want a change from tepid to really-warm, they (slowly) make their way over to the central structure built right in the middle of the lake over the hot spring source. It is also reachable from the shore lockers by corridors. Inside are four rectangular pools, again without bottoms, where the water is 92°F. But the pièces-de-resistance are the hot water jets at 104° to massage the kinks out of those rheumatic joints. The hot water comes gushing up out of the ground at the astonishing rate of 5000 gallons a minute, enough to completely change the water of the lake every three days. There is a canal that empties to the south towards Lake Balaton; Héviz is just 8 Km north of Lake Balaton, the largest lake in Europe. The canal and the edges of the Héviz are covered by water lilies which are protected and respected. The mud at the bottom of the lake is used for mudpacks at the neighbouring Fesztetics Wellness Center.
The lake is surrounded by acres of parkland, on which hundreds of patrons are lounging. Beyond the boundaries of the park itself are several more acres of old-growth forests. Outside the gates, of course is the town of Héviz itself filled with hotels, B&Bs, low and medium priced restos as well as a couple of dozen food and drink kiosks (food court style) offering all the usual East European fare including those two ubiquitous Hungarian snacks: Lángos and Pogácsa - the former a type of fried dough topped with either savoury or sweet toppings and the later a type of scone, available in a dozen savoury varieties, for a quick snack and suitable for noshing.
I am sure other restos could make the same claim, but for us, we gravitated to the Vadaskert Csárda on the road between Keszthely and Héviz, for typical and quite delicious Hungarian fare, including, the Gulyás Soup, filled with everything, including venison and strongly flavored with the ubiquitous paprika, I had a venison steak, with a ‘letcho’ with chicken livers, potato croquettes, and the local Szürkebarát white wine.
The lakes are about 100 Kms west of Budapest and were part of the Roman Empire. The Romans used to bathe here, two Roman altar-stones dedicated to Jupiter were unearthed north of the Lake (and we know the Romans had a bathing culture), the Turks used it during their 150-year Occupation, and the aristocracy of the nineteenth century loved it.
The bathing culture of Hévíz and the evolution of the unique medicinal therapies are linked with the name of Count György Festetics, who started bathing constructions on the lake around the end of the 18th century. He established a bathing site beside the lake, which became popular especially with the local peasantry. The bath and the thermal water later gained fame, and people from more distant places visited Hévíz wishing to be cured of rheumatic/arthritic ailments as the waters were held to have medicinal value.
As a result, Hévíz has become a well-known thermal bath throughout Hungary and elsewhere. Now it has morphed into a full medicinal spa- cum-hospital in new buildings offering pleasure pools, a sauna block, massage clinic, various examination rooms, changing rooms, catering units and even a conference room.
Currently there are more than a thousand wells in Hungary that give 30°C+ hot water most of which is claimed to have medicinal properties.
Speaking of Count Festetics, his family was the big cheese around these parts for centuries and they had their Baroque palace built near the shore of Lake Balaton in the town of Keszthely. The property continued to belong to the Festetics family until they were disinherited by the Communists in 1949. Today, it is open to visitors, and well worth the visit. It is one of the three largest well-preserved palaces in Hungary. The Hall of Mirrors, formerly the ballroom, now a concert venue and the two-tier library, still jammed with ancient books and the circular stairwell to reach the second floor alone are worth the visit.
Above the town of Héviz, is the small region of Egregy, within walking distance, on a south-facing slope and covered with vineyards, wine caves and restaurants. Grapes were planted here in Roman times and Roman remains including a tomb can be visited, though not much to see.
Slightly to the east on the north shore of Lake Balaton several basalt hills rise above the plain, remnants of long-extinct volcanos. As elsewhere, volcanic soil begs to be planted with grapes and so are these all, producing several varietals: two types of Rieslings, Gruner Veltliner, and that really delicious white: Badacsonyi Szurkebarát (Greyfriars of Badacsony) - a tip of the hat to the monks who developed this varietal, slightly sweet with ripe fruits on the palate. One of my personal favorite whites.
Some 35 Kms to the north-east is the charming town of Tapolca, whose main claims to fame are the underground Cave Lake system and the large spring-fed Mill-Pond in the center of town.
The two are connected underground. The Cave system is about 50 ft. right under the town totaling about 3.3 Km, and round-trip boat rides (paddle yourself) have become possible since 1937. Not to worry, it is well lit. Cold and warm water springs feed the cave system as well as the Mill-Pond above and there is a steady flow of water through the disused mill and away along a canal filled with water plants and fish, mostly Koi. In the surrounding parkland, there is the rather stunning sculpture called “The Four Seasons” by Louis Marton.
A wander through the town revealed a house graced by a Transylvanian gate, intricately carved (as required) – a style normally found only in Hungarian Transylvania.
A few kilometers to the north of Tapolca is the town and fortress of Sümeg sitting on its own volcanic hilltop. Much restored, the climb to the top is rewarded by magnificent views of the surrounding areas. Adults can view the smithy, the kitchen and bake-house, wheelwright workshops, and a macabre torture chamber complete with rather poorly made wax figures. Kids can practice their archery, fight a 7-headed dragon, search for the needle-in-a-haystack or pet the usual animals in the kiddie zoo. The fortress’ origins lie some 800 years in the past, and successive extensions have created what we see (restored) today. The location was so strategic that it was repeatedly fought over for centuries by greedy Hungarian chiefs and kings, greedy Habsburgs, and greedy Ottoman Turks.
Lots to see, lots to do, lots to enjoy, no visit to Hungary should miss the Lakes District.