SÁRVÁR

Scarcely distant 30 km from Austrian border, the population of Sárvár lives on the Tourism of Health. The economic development has been influenced by the wealth of its healing water of two totally different types.

In the area of Sárvár the healing water that sprouts from a depth of 1200 m. reaches temperature of 43ş C, while the water that emerges from a depth 2000 meters is very salty and its temperature surpass 83ş C.

The famous saline glass of Sárvár is originated by the high temperature of the water and its salinity through the evaporation. This healing water can be used in an effective way in the treatment of illnesses of the locomotive apparatus as well as in dermatology and gynecology.

The thermal water of 43şC contains carbonates and alkaline compounds and it is specially suitable for locomotive problems, rehabilitation (included sport lesions) neurological problems and relaxing baths.

Sárvár gives health and well-being to thousands of visitors that annually arrive to enjoy its tourist offer. We organize a program of visits to this small city but great in culture and history. Here was printed in 1541 the first book in Hungarian language, the New Testament translated by Janos Silvestre.

We decide in the first place, to take a bath of culture, for this reason we went to the Castle of Sárvár, pertainig to Nadasty family, promoter of the Hungarian culture. It is a medieval castle and its main attraction are the paintings in fresco of 1653 that represent scenes of battles of the war against the Turks.

The Nadasty Ference Museun settled down in the castle presents literary rarities and historical weapons. The castle also contains the Szabo Marzipan Museum that was transferred here from Austria. Its white tower, Its bridge of arches and perpendicular inside yard are unique samples of the renaissance style, flanked by trees planted in the moat.

The environmental areas are very well maintained and either the lake and its ecological environment, the river Raba and the park and green forests, they provide the ideal conditions for some vacations adapted to every age. The cultural programs of high quality, such as the International Folk Festival and the International Festival of Bands, the outdoors market and the Historical Days, are other tourist attractiveness of the city.

In the circuit of Pannonia located 6 kilometers from Sárvár, are celebrated international careers of cars and motos either professional or amateurs.

Once the cultural session was concluded, we pass to the bath of sensations and thermal knowledge on the concept of well-being. In Sárvár this tendency, in fashion all over Europe, became applied from December 2002, when the new spa, that meets this philosophy and lifestyle, was inaugurated.

The Spa y Wellness Center Sárvár is a medicinal and entertainment place, designed to satisfy the leisure time, health and wellness necessities of visitors whether young people, families or infantile public.

When entering in the new Spa we are informed about different programs of healing, wellness and of treatments of high level. About 36000 square meters in a total of 55000 are dedicated to water surface. The construction meets all standards of international thermal and functional architecture and international normative.

We go through the immense facilities. There are medicinal pools, entertainment pools, saunas, pools for babies, a healing centre, fitness, wellness, a beauty parlor, recreational spaces and catering service and a day nursery. All this perfectly distributed in areas of health and entertainment areas for adults and young.

What impressed us most pleasingly was the new thermal spa and wellness although in an special way, the place dedicated to the youngest and children, separated from the adults area. The facilities are perfectly equipped and designed with materials that guarantee a sure and lively amusement.

We complete our journey visiting the Danubius Thermal Hotel Sárvar, located in the centre of the the city, in the midle the botanical garden of 9 hectares, in the past, known as Royal Garden and near to the medieval Castle Nádasdy.

With the habitual cordiality of the Hungarian people, the Sales Director welcomes us and he explains the characteristics of the hotel in the original lobby whose glassy roof allows the sun light to fill the room making it welcoming.

The Danubius Thermal Hotel Sárvár, due to its category and exquisite comfort, transforms the small city into a very well-known tourist resource, internationally requested. The hotel not only lodge people coming to undergo a treatment in its thermal spa, but the lovers of the nature, the leisure, the sports and the well-being.

We go outside towards the outdoor pools. There we coincide with some groups of Austrian women, practicing "aquarobic", directed by a monitor. We observe how disciplined they are carrying out the exercises. It is a type of gymnastics that protects the articulations and, simultaneously, due to the pressure of the water it is considered of training and of massage. A little far away, another group of people of advanced age practices gymnastics with music.

The Garden bar, available at any time, is located in the left part, in front of the pools. The life of the hotel during the summer season practically take place in this impressive garden of 9 hectareas of woodland. Besides the native oaks from Austria, ash-trees and alders several marvels of the nature can be seen, from the Japanese magnolia to rhododendrons that flourish in May.

A buffet with hot soup is ready for the people that follow treatments. It is a gratuitous service of the Hotel. It substitutes a meal and this way the program of exercises is not interrupted.

In the restaurant Nádor, every Friday, the gypsy music make pleasanter the culinary afternoons. We don't want to lose it. For this reason we insist on staying. The hungarian culinary richness is like a melting pot of different western and eastern civilizations: influence of the Magiars, the Turks, the Balkans peoples and the Italian inheritance.

As appetizer, some pogácsa, crispy and salted buns of flour with shortening, cheese and spices, then a fish páprikas (halpaprikás) with three classes of fish, onion and páprika, the most famous ingredient in the Hungarian cuisine. It gets ready in enormous boilers, aromatizing the whole local. We accompany him with a "Badacsonyi rizling", a white wine from the vineyards of the volcanic hills of the Balaton Lake.

Other members of the group opt for the birds: chicken to the paprika accompanied by homemade pastas as the galuska. Lastly we choose among the variety of sweets and one of the bigest temptations is the somlói galuska, creamy cupcake with rum, raisins and nuts and covered by cream. Delights that we enjoy late during an unforgettable afternoon in Sárvár.

On the way toward Hévíz, the city of the water and sanctuary of the modern thermalism, an obliged stop in Sümeg to witness a medieval tournament in its famous castle.

Sümeg is a small city located in the Southwestern part of the Bakony system, 30 kms from Lake Balaton. Its main attraction is the monumental castle built in the XIII century, and located in the hill of the city. Visitors from all over the world arrive to this part of the region to climb the fortress, and at the same time to visit the Asunción's Church of baroque style also called "the Chapel Sixtina of the Rococó".

The medieval centre of Sümeg offers the daily programming of visit to the castle and the museum where one can also test the different weapons of the medieval time and also do horse ride.

It is already mid afternoon, we have lost the morning exhibition that began at 11:00 h with a tournament of medieval knights and they repeats at 14:00h and 17:00h. In the programming intervals, the public have a good time with jugglers and magicians sharing the Middle Age games.

By chance we arrive on time for the last session programmed for 18:30h and it consists on a medieval march through the streets, knight's tournament and a medieval dinner.

Spectacular the parade showing the banners. Impressive the sound of drums and trumpets and great realism in the fights. Fantastic the staging with the victory of the valiant knights that obtain as trophy, the smile of the beautiful ladies.

This is certainly a day of emotions, and we are in the mood for enjoy the medieval experiences, some members of the group have a good time in the museum, testing the weapons of the epoch, while others decide to visit the Asunción's Church where is possible to admire the best frescos of Hungary.

During the dinner, the minstrels delighted us with their poems and songs. The dishes, the wine and desserts served in large plates and goblets of amber and carved glass, animate some diners to take the license of eat without of the cutleries, as well as to dance with dressed ladies dressed on a medieval way. Maybe XII century or perhaps XIII century... Somebody reminds us that it is the hour of leaving... The medieval dream had finished.