Gellért Bath - The Treasure of the Capital

The territory Budapest is located on has been known for the healing waters of its hot springs for centuries; during the Ottoman occupation Turks discovered the miraculous powers of local thermal waters too, and later on, beginning with the 15th century many baths were build around these sites. The place where Gellért Bath (Gellért Fürdő) is located today, used to be a mud-bath because of the fine silt that was pushed up by the water and settled at the bottom of the pools; its natural water supplies filled with calcium, magnesium, sodium and hydrogen-carbonate as well as sulphate-chloride, also with a significant content of fluoride ions, come from inside of Gellért Hill and are perfect for treating degenerative joint diseases, spinal deformities, chronic and sub-acute arthritis, circulatory disturbances, vasoconstriction, neuralgia and chronic diseases of respiratory organs.

The breathtaking Secession building of Hotel Gellért and its thermal bath, built in the elegant style of palaces from the beginning of the century, opened its gates in 1918, and was expanded with additional facilities during the next decade: a wave-bath in 1927 and an effervescent bath in 1934. Today its modernised version with a sitting pool, a whirlpool, a swimming complex, an adventure pool, a children's pool and a huge thermal bath department (with water temperatures of 36-38 degrees Celsius) is known all over the world and visited by thousands of foreign tourists all through the year.
The bath offers a total of 13 indoor and outdoor pools, a daytime outpatient hospital, complex medical therapies and high-standard spa treatments, and the following healtcare and wellness services: spa physician consultation, dental care, carbondioxide bath, mud-treatment, steam-bath and sauna, underwater water jet and traction-bath, electrotherapy, curative gymnastics, inhalation. Many different types of massages are offered, as well as fitness equipment, solarium, sunbed rental and many catering services - during the summer months even pool-side parties can be organized for groups of up to 1500 people.

The beautifully ornamented interior space of the bath is decorated with Zsolnay porcelain, wood structures, mosaics, statues and stain-glass windows, and is a perfect environment for recreation, regeneration and healing. Some of the sections, reconstructed after World War II have been recently renovated and equipped with state-of-the art water filtering and circulation devices, due to which the 41 degree water is cooled with a special method, without adding regular cold water. But thanks to the careful restauration works the original bourgeois atmosphere was succesfully kept, as was the tradition of having a separate thermal bath section for women and one for men – Gellért Bath deserves its place among the eight thermal establishments of the capital considered genuine national monuments.

Budapest Opera Ball 2010

The history of the Budapest Opera Ball dates back to the end of the 19th century, when copying the custom of aristocrats attending old court dances, the upper class organized these kinds of elegant dances almost every month, usually as a charity fundraiser; in 1934, following the Viennese model, the first edition of the official Opera Ball was held in the Hungarian capital.
Then there was a long pause and after an interval of 62 years the modern version of the ball was organized in February 1996 - soon it became the largest and most important social event for local celebrities. The annual tradition is kept alive at the end of each winter and it offers an excellent opportunity for the most famous representatives of the cultural, political, business and entertainment world to meet and capture the attention of the public.

On the last Saturday of every carnival season the stage and the auditorium of the State Opera House is transformed into the most beautiful ballroom of the country, where every little details takes guests back in time, to the cultural protocol, social etiquette and good manners of past centuries. After a short greeting program the ball is opened by more than a hundred debutante dancers, then guests are served a sumptuous dinner and can waltz their way into the wee hours of the morning.
Through the years the ball's organizers had the honour to welcome a bunch of distinquished visitors such as M. Barre former Prime Minister of France, Baron Guy de Rothschild the head of the Rotschild Dinasty, Gilberte Beaux leading personality of the French economic branch, Thierry de Montbrial representing the French cultural and political life, Jürgen Köppen Head of the Delegation of the European Commission to Hungary, Brigitte Zypries Federal Minister of Justice and Otto Wiesheu Bavarian Minister of Economy, as well as Dr. Dieter Böhmdorfer former Austrian Minister of Economy. Also among the guest stars of the last ten years there were famous international names, worthy of the event's prestige: Montserrat Caballé, Ornella Muti, Catherine Deneuve, Katarina Witt, Gina Lollobrigida, Daryl Hannah, Richard Clayderman, Franco Nero and Lothar Matthäus.

This year the ball will take place on the 13th of February and its guest of honour will be the well-known Argetinian-born opera tenor José Cura. Beside his presence participants can enjoy special entertainment program sin several places within the Opera House: in the Zwack Café they will be able to taste delicious cocktails while listening to the Babos Band, in the Székely Bertalan Hall they can enjoy a nice champagne bar and soft piano music, on a terrace a cigar room will be available, while in another salon guest will be able to try different brands of beer.
On the following day the decorative arrangements will be kept intact and will host a festive charity gala for underprivileged and disabled children, presenting a beautiful show of entertaining performances.

Happy New Year!

Boldog Új Évet!