Hungarian Baths Association

The predecessor in title of the Hungarian Baths Association was the Professional Association of Water Supply-, Sewage- and Baths Companies. After the changing of the political regime, the experts of the baths trade decided to create their own association under the name of
Hungarian Baths Association. The owner local governments have detached the baths companies from the water supply- and sewage companies, and established independent economic corporations exclusively for the operation of baths. The newly formed group of independent baths found it necessary to ensure the opportunity of independent lobby activities. The Hungarian experts of the baths trade decided to establish a national civil association, in which both the professional protection of interests and national representation are possible.

In 1992, in the Tea-Saloon of Spa and Hotel Gellért , five companies operating Hungarian baths decided to establish the Hungarian Baths Association and initiated the registration of the new association at the registry court. According to the will of the founders: "the Hungarian Baths Association is an association of economic organizations and entrepreneurs operating baths, and of the ones participating in planning, developing and building baths and providing for them".

Founding members:

Hajdúszoboszló: Pál Szücs director

Zalakaros: Sándor Tanczenberger director

Harkány: Gábor Buzás director

Danubius Hotels Rt.: Sándor Betegh director

Board of Bath Directors of Budapest: Dr. Gábor Horváth director,

Senior Secretary: Dr. György Ákoshegyi, National Board of Directors of Water Supply

    They made a public announcement, and a massive reaction followed: at the General Meeting held in Budapest in the spring of 1993, 15 companies, operating baths were present as members. The Hungarian Baths Association currently has 186 members, from which 111 are baths operating regular members and 52 are supporting, 1 honorary and 22 individual members.

    Our major achievement is that we managed to create a forum for the Hungarian professionals of the baths trade, through which they can meet and share ideas regularly, they can learn about each other's results and problems. Together we successfully organized several study trips and training programs, as a result of which the technical, economic and moral level of the Hungarian baths professionals has considerably improved.

    We managed to become a respected organization and are handled as equal negotiation partners by different executive organizations and authorities. The judiciary ministry asks for our opinion when making new laws and the Hungarian Committee for Standardization asks for our input when defining new standards.

    Looking back on the past 10 years, we have to mention our most important events. Naturally, the Assembly Meetings come first. The place and date of our Assembly Meetings were as follows:

1992: Budapest, Gellért Spa Hotel, Assembly Meeting of foundation

1993: in spring in Budapest, in autumn in Gyula

1994: in spring in Bükfürdő, in autumn in Balatonfűzfő

1995: in spring in Budapest, in autumn in Berekfürdő

1996: in spring in Keszthely, in autumn in Bükfürdő

1997: in spring in Debrecen, in autumn in Hajdúszoboszló

1998: in spring in Szeged, in autumn in Harkány

1999: in spring in Sopron, in autumn in Debrecen

2000: in spring in Lillafüred, in autumn in Zalakaros

2001: in spring in Tiszaújváros, in autumn in Pécs

2002: in spring in Eger, in autumn in Budapest - 10 years' jubilee; convivial Assembly Meeting

2003: in spring in Hajdúszoboszló, in autumn in Hévíz

2004: in spring in Kecskemét, in autumn in Nyiregyháza

2005: in spring in Győr

2006: in spring in Szováta

2007: in spring in Szombathely

2008: in spring in Orosháza-Gyopárosfürdő, in autumn in Sárvár

2009: in spring in Mezőkövesd, in autumn in Kehidakustány

    It has proved to be a very good tradition to have our Assembly Meetings always in a different city of baths. With this we give the opportunity to the participants to see different baths and to be personally informed about the results and problems of the baths trade. The work of the professional committees also serves this purpose; their meetings deal with the different baths spread around in the country.

    At the Assembly Meeting of 1993 a proposal was born concerning the foundation of professional committees (medical, educational, technical and economic). At the next Assembly Meeting the Economic, Educational and Medical Committees were founded. Later, because of the expansion of the issues, we expanded the operation of the committees: thus the Economic Committee took on the handling of legal affairs, as well, and then the Qualification Committee was founded for the handling of quality- and qualification problems. In the spring of 2002 the Assembly Meeting decided to found the Marketing Committee.

    The Hungarian Baths Association created more and more intensive foreign relations. From the Baths Associations of the adjacent countries, we contacted first the Austrian, Slovakian, Transylvanian and German baths associations. We invited the leaders of foreign bath associations to our Assembly Meetings, where they made a presentation about the bath conditions of their country, about the development and problems of baths. In 1995 the leaders of the German and Slovakian, in 1996 the leaders of the German and in 1998 the leaders of the Transylvanian baths associations participated in our Assembly Meetings. We have organized study-trips in Transylvania three times, and professional groups from Romania have visited us. In 1996 the chairman of the European Spa Associations (ESPA) made a presentation at our Assembly Meeting; this is when the issue of Hungary's joining ESPA, as the first non-EU country, first emerged. The Hungarian Baths Association partnered with ESPA in 1996, and then in 1998 it became a regular member of ESPA. In 2001 ESPA had its annual Assembly Meeting in Budapest.

    We have organized several study-trips abroad, among which we would like to emphasize the already traditional trips organized to visit the INTERBAD exhibitions, which take place every second year. Visiting the baths exhibition in Barcelona, and the Aqua Park in Mallorca was also organized by the Association. We have been invited to conferences abroad - thus we participated in the Assembly Meeting of OMTH in 1997 in Teplice, that of SITH in Transylvania, and also at the meetings organized at the same time as the INTERBAD exhibition, where almost every year there is a Hungarian presenter, as well. The European Association of Biotherapies also invited the Hungarian Baths Association to become its member, and we regularly participate in their professional consultations.

    The Hungarian Baths Association, using its own resources, published a guidebook, titled Spas and Baths in Hungary in 1995 in Hungarian, English and German. The book became very popular in a short period of time, and we published its second Hungarian version in 1997, and its second English and German versions in 1999. We are now preparing the publication of the Hungarian Baths Almanac (Magyar Fürdőalmanach), which is a representative book about Hungary's baths and is done in cooperation with the National Széchenyi Library.

    In order to help the professional preparation of the Hungarian baths experts, our association decided to publish a book about the operation and planning of baths. Its title is Baths Guide (Fürdők Kézikönyve), and it is being proof-read at the moment. We hope to make this book available to everybody who is interested in this topic this year.

	The first Assembly Meeting of the Hungarian Baths Association in 2004 The First Assembly Meeting of the Hungarian Baths Association will take place in Kecskemét, April 28th - 29th. Please, click here for detailed information, or contact us personally. (See 'Contact' for contact details.)

	Fürdőszövetség.hu - open test-period With August 26, 2003 the webpage of the Hungarian Baths Associations has been re-engined. >> further