The city of Hévíz in Zala county, in the district of Keszthely. Its main attraction is the warm peat water lake with a natural peat bed, which is unique in Europe, thanks to which the settlement is one of the number one tourist destinations in Hungary.
Its inclusion as a spa dates back to prehistoric
times. The healing effect of Lake Hévíz was probably already known
to the Romans, as evidenced by the coins collected by divers from
the lake in the early 1980s and the altar stone found around the
lake. Finds from the migration also show that the Germanic and
Slavic populations who turned to it also used the lake. Hévíz is
mentioned in writing for the first time in a charter from 1328, when
the settlement is mentioned as locus vulgarites Hewyz dictus.
The first study of the lake was published by Ferenc Szlávy in
1769. The Festetics played an important role in the creation /
development of the spa, who acquired the spring and its surroundings
in the middle of the 18th century. The flourishing of the bathing
life is mainly due to Count György Festetics, who purposefully built
the spa.
Today's settlement was established from the
amalgamation of the villages of Hévízszentandrás and Egregy in 1946,
and on May 1, 1992 it received the title of a city.
From Budapest, driving on the M7 motorway in the direction of
Balatonszentgyörgy, then through Keszthely, or bypassing the city,
you can get to Hévíz. It can be reached from Sopron on the main road
No. 84.
The nearest train station is in Keszthely, and from
there you can get to the city by bus or taxi. Scheduled buses run
from the larger cities of the country to Hévíz, but international
bus services are also available.
The city can also be reached
via Budapest with a shuttle service from several European cities and
a scheduled bus service. The nearby Hévíz-Balaton International
Airport in Sármellék also receives regular charter flights, from
which it is also easiest to get to the city by shuttle.
According to the note in the document entitled Balaton Territorial
Development Concept 2014–2030, “in connection with local transport,
the construction of a fixed-track transport system between Keszthely
and Hévíz must be prepared”.
The tram would pass through two
cities and connect intercity and local bus stations. Several ideas
were made for the trail as well as the stops. According to the
study, they would not buy new trams on the line, but e.g. nostalgic
but “semi-modern” used vehicles (eg SGP E1 trams no longer used in
Miskolc) would be procured at a discounted price.
A 2016
government decision allocated funds for the implementation of the
Lake Balaton railway and the development of the airport, and called
on the Minister of National Development to propose the more
efficient utilization of the Hévíz Lake Bath by integrating it into
the Balaton tourism offer with the involvement of the Minister of
Human Resources and the Hungarian Tourism Agency. , while
maintaining the health care function.
Tourism
It bases the
development of the city on tourism. With one million guest nights
spent in commercial accommodation (2012), it is the second most
popular settlement in Hungary after Budapest. Its largest sending
markets are Germany (258 thousand), Russia (181 thousand) and
Austria (97 thousand). Of course, its popularity is mainly due to
Lake Hévíz, which is also known for its healing effects in its area.
The spa, which now has a spa tradition of more than 200 years, is
visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists every year.
International guest traffic is expected to increase further as more
and more tourists arrive at the nearby Sármellék airport.
Hévíz is a member of the National Association of Hungarian Spa
Towns.
Protected wetland, protected forest and
park
Dr. Vilmos Schulhof Promenade and Walking Street (Rákóczi
Street)
In 1998, the new seven-towered Holy Spirit Roman Catholic
Church was handed over
The 13th century church stands in Egregy,
a former independent settlement.
The National Blue Tour passes
through the settlement.
Egregy wine bars
Reformed Lutheran
Church
Church of the Heart of Jesus in Egregy
Town Hall and
the square in front of the Town Hall, a fountain called Nymphae
Pantheon of the city of Hévíz
Sculpture park
St. Andrew on the
cross
Hévíz Spa and St. Andrew's Rheumatism Hospital
Tomb of a
Roman soldier
Historic villas
Roman ruin garden
Museum
Collection / Fontana Cinema
Egregy Museum, which opened its doors
in 2016