Centuries ago thermal springs gushing forth at the foot of Gellért Hill created a muddy hollow where today´s baths are located. The first the open-air bath was named, for its muddy waters, Sárosfürdö (Muddy Bath).
In 1894, when construction of the Francis Joseph, later Szabadság (Liberty) Bridge commenced, the government expropriated and subsequently demolished the bath building. In 1902 the municipality of Budapest acquired ownership of the springs from the treasury and started to prepare a project for the construction of a new baths.
The actual construction of today´s Gellért Baths began in 1911 and the building, named St Gellért Medicinal Baths and Hotel, was inaugurated on 26 September 1918. The architects were Artúr SEBESTYÉN, Ármin HEGEDÜS and Izidor STERK.
The real attraction of this building, considering the many alterations undergone by the hotel, is the thermal bath still capable of evoking the milieu of the Hotel´s construction. Alongside those baths remaining from the Turkish period, the Saint Gellért Baths is one of the most internationally well known and most popular medicinal baths in Budapest. The exotic splendour, the glazed tiles and mosaics glittering with magnificent colour effects in a fabulous atmosphere heightened by the clouds of steam render the building a peerless gem of the bath architecture fashionable of the turn of the century. Although the architects began their careers under Ödön LECHNER´s influence, the master´s presence can no longer be discerned in this work. The main entrance, the corners and the bath entrance are crowned by baroque-like domes. Floral folk art motives decorate the entire building and reflect the geometricising tendencies of the ?Wiener Werkstätte?. The colourful and imposing 74-metre-long entrance hall covered by an arched glass roof - the transversal axis of the symmetrical ground-plan - evokes the atmosphere of Roman thermal baths. The whole complex is characterised by the abundance of a highly varied detail: the amazingly exquisite world of late Art Nouveau blends with the Neo-Baroque.(Sources: Csaba Meskó: Thermal baths, Our Budapest, 1998 and Budapest Architectural guide - 20th century, 6Bt, 1997)

www.budapestgyogyfurdoi.hu/hu/gellert/aktualis

© Horváth Edina, KÖH

The Hotel Palace is one of the finest Budapest examples of the architects Marcell KOMOR and Dezsö JAKAB in 1910. It is characterised by an idiosyncratic interpretation of LECHNER´s architectural heritage. A simplification of Lechner´s architectural language was often used in parallel with elements drawn from other architectural styles. The secret of the architects´ popularity can be found in the excellent planning and structure of their buildings, as well as the general accessibility of their style. The facade of the hotel introduces an array of ceramic and plaster ornament, roof and balcony shapes, wrought-iron work and wood carvings; the inventory of the playful world of the duo's. (Source: Budapest Architectural guide - 20th century, 6Bt, 1997)

novotel.com

© Horváth Edina, KÖH

The Palace of the Gresham Insurance Company (the latter Apartment and Retail Complex) was the most luxurious apartment development in the capital, built with the utmost precision and level of luxury directly upon the axis of the Lánchíd (Chain Bridge). The designers were Zsigmond QUITTNER and József VÁGÓ; the sculptural ornamentation is the work of Géza MARÓTI, Ede TELCS, Miklós LIGETI, Ede MARGÓ and Szigfrid PONGRÁCZ. The stain-glass windows of the staircase opening from sky-lit passages were designed and carried out by Miksa RÓTH. The whole building is characterised by the three dimensional, sculptural handling of novelly formed elements. (Source: Budapest Architectural guide - 20th century, 6Bt, 1997)
Today it functions as a Four Seasons Hotel.

www.fourseasons.com/budapest

© Hack Róbert, KÖH

The Institute, designed by Ödön LECHNER and built by Sándor HAUSZMANNN, serves the same function since its opening since 1899 - this naturally contributed to the conservation of the original appearance in a relatively intact state. The magnificent roof of ZSOLNAY tiles shining in several shades of blue can be overviewed from the roof terrace of the back annex of the building. One can feel the Oriental atmosphere inside the building: in the foyer, the stairways and the corridors. The way Lechner takes out motives from the small-scale world of embroidery and carving and shapes them into monumental spatial elements while preserving their original character is the culminating point of his brilliant style creation. (Source: Art Nouveau in Hungarian Way, Ödön Lechner, 1845-1914, Kulturális Örökségvédelmi Hivatal, 2004)

www.mafi.hu

© Horváth Edina, KÖH