Hungary - land of the spas

Balazs Gardi

National Geographic Magazine/Panos Pictures

Part of the Earth’s water resources can be found on the surface, in form of rivers, lakes and seas. The rest of the water is underground. When that water comes up to the surface, it passes different types of rocks from which it dissolves minerals. The temperature of underground water varies, depending on how deep it originates from. The European average depth is 33 meters, while in Hungary it is 18 meters. That means that thermal water can be acquired from a smaller depth than elsewhere, therefore Hungary is unique in that aspect. <p> Hungary is a land of more than 1,000 hot springs and enough spa facilities to accommodate 300,000 people at any one time. Spas are located in big cities and smaller towns throughout the country. From natural springs and man-made wells, 350million litres of thermal water comes to surface per day. <p> Young woman floating over the water at the thermal lake at Heviz, western Hungary.

Balazs Gardi, "Hungary - land of the spas," in POYi Archive, Item #33651, http://archive.poy.org/items/show/33651 (accessed November 23, 2024).