Selyemréti Strandfürdő

Selyemréti Strandfürdő is an open-air (strand) bathing complex in Miskolc, in north-eastern Hungary. According to the venue, it first opened on 29 June 1927 and, after closing in 2008, was fully renovated and reopened in 2013. The site today comprises several outdoor pools ranging from a competition-length swimming pool to warm bubbling therapeutic pools, a children's pool, a three-lane slide pool and a sauna.

History

The bath opened on 29 June 1927 with an international swimming competition that drew swimmers from Eger and Magdeburg. It was designed by the architect Alfréd Hajós, an Olympic swimming champion at the 1896 Athens Games. The original concept used waste heat from the city's electrical power plant to warm the pool water, which gave the bath its colloquial name "villanytelepi strand" (power-plant beach). The venue describes it as Miskolc's first beach bath. Its original 50-by-20-metre pool was built for international competitions and for teaching young people to swim, and the main building had separate men's and women's changing rooms with 220 cabins in total, a restaurant and a sandy sunbathing area. In the 1950s, thermal water at 45°C was found during oil exploration, allowing the pools to be heated after the power plant closed, and a "piskóta" (biscuit-shaped) therapeutic pool was added. Minor renovations followed through the 1960s to 1980s. The bath was closed in 2008 under water-circulation regulations dating from 1996, and a major reconstruction and expansion was completed in 2013.

Pools

The complex offers a range of outdoor pools, each with stated dimensions, depths and water temperatures:

• Swimming pool – 50 by 20 metres, 0.9 to 1.95 metres deep, kept at 27–29°C; used by visitors as well as for swimming and water-polo training and physical-education classes. A swim cap is mandatory here.
• Bubbling (dögönyöző) pool – 232 m² surface, 0.75 to 1.0 metre deep, with jets, neck showers and massage elements; the temperature varies seasonally, stated as 36–38°C in January–February and 32–34°C in June–August.
• Sitting (ülő) pool – 727 m² surface, 0.9 to 1.25 metres deep, at 32–34°C, with bubble beds, bubble benches and a standing bubble bath.
• Slide pool – 206 m² surface, 0.9 to 1.2 metres deep, at 26–28°C, served by a three-lane slide system ("family", "kamikaze" and "anaconda") launching from 9- and 12-metre heights.
• Exercise and teaching pool – 425 m² surface, 0.9 to 1.2 metres deep, at 26–28°C, intended for those who cannot yet swim confidently.
• Children's pool – 138 m² surface, 0.35 to 0.79 metre deep, at 29–31°C, with a water castle, mini-slide, water spout and a sphere waterfall.

Water

The venue states that the water does not currently meet Hungary's legal criteria for classification as medicinal (gyógyvíz) water, while citing decades of guest experience regarding the properties of its neutral karst water. Published analyses of two thermal wells report figures including a pH of about 7.14–7.19, conductivity of 520–608 μS/cm, calcium of roughly 88–90 mg/l, bicarbonate of 323 mg/l, together with magnesium, sodium, potassium, sulfate, iron and chloride. The site does not state the current bathing-water temperature at the wellhead or the well depth.

Facilities and services

A sauna is available. The venue also offers early-morning lap swimming and swimming instruction. Documented paid extras include supplementary sauna tickets and time-based surcharges. The site describes the facility as offering numerous high-quality services but does not detail massage, wellness treatments or catering on the pages reviewed.

Opening hours

The facility is open daily from 06:00 to 20:00. Morning swimming runs 06:00–10:00, with the pools open 08:00–19:30 and the sauna 10:00–19:30. The ticket office closes at 19:00. Between 06:00 and 08:00 only the 50-metre swimming pool may be used, with a swimming ticket.

Prices

On weekdays, stated per-person entrance prices include: adult 4,250 Ft; child, student or senior 3,150 Ft; a family ticket for two adults and one child/student 11,050 Ft; and a swimming-only ticket 1,200 Ft. The site states that all prices double on Saturdays and Sundays (for example, adult 8,500 Ft), and that discounts are available for holders of local address cards and the Miskolc Pass. A supplementary sauna ticket costs 1,750 Ft, or 950 Ft with a swimming pass.