Gellért Hotel and Baths

At the foot of Gellérthegy Hill in Buda, the Gellért Hotel and Baths face Szabad ság hd (Liberty Bridge). The hill has long been recognized for its thermal springs, which are employed in the Ottoman Turkish tradition of spa baths. Budapest is known for its spas, and the Gellért Hotel and Baths is by far the most opulent. Thirteen springs supply thermal pools within beautifully adorned spa baths designed by dön Lechner, who inspired a generation of Hungarian architects.

Lechner employed contemporary materials and technology while incorporating traditional Hungarian elements. His unique use of ceramics and color in architecture. An architectural historian, Edwin Heathcote, regards Lechner as "an eccentric genius and precursor of modernism". Three of his students, Artr Sebestyén, rmin Hegedus, and Izidor Sterk, enthusiastically expressed his ideas in the Gellért Hotel, which opened in 1918. The interior has glazed, marbled tiles and beautiful mosaics that sparkle in the humid, steamy environment.

Tiled galleries encircle the main indoor pool. A semicircular thermal bath is located at one end, and in good weather, a glass canopy glides up. The luxurious magnificence, exotic design, and dark recesses combine to create a magnificent feast of bath architecture. Baroque cupolas adorn the main entrance, corners, and the entrance to the baths. Outside, there are sun terraces and an open-air pool built into the mountainside. The whole Gellért complex conjures up images of magnificent elegance and sensuous opulence.

Location: Budapest Kelenhegyi út 4 1114, Hungary