Király Thermal Bath

Király Thermal Bath (Király Gyógyfürdő) is a historic thermal medicinal bath in Budapest, Hungary, on the Buda side at Fő utca 84 (H-1027). Its origins reach back to the Ottoman period, and today it is operated by Budapest Spas cPlc.

History

According to the bath's own account, construction was begun in 1565 by Arszlán, the Pasha of Buda, and finished by his successor, Szokoli Musztafa. The Turks deliberately placed the bath away from the thermal springs and inside the fortress walls, so that bathing would remain possible even during a siege. After the recapture of Buda, the bath passed to the König family in 1796; they rebuilt it into its present form, blending the old with the new while preserving its standing as a protected monument, and the bath's Hungarianized name derives from that family. The building was damaged during the Second World War and underwent a full restoration in 1950.

The water

The Király bath has never had a hot-water source of its own. Its water was, and still is, supplied from the area around what is now the Lukács Baths. It is a certified medicinal bath (gyógyfürdő).

Visiting

The bath is located at H-1027 Budapest, Fő utca 84, and can be reached by tram line 19 and bus lines 9 and 109. It has been closed to guests since 15 March 2020 and remains closed for an indefinite period while it undergoes renovation.