Budapest Guide
Gellért-hegy and the Tabán
The Gellért Baths
Address: At the foot of Gellért Hill
The graceful wrought-iron Szabadság híd (Liberty Bridge) links the inner boulevard of Pest to Szent Gellért tér on the Buda side, dominated by the Art Nouveau Gellért Hotel. Opened in 1918, it was commandeered as a staff headquarters by the Reds, the Romanian army, and finally by Admiral Horthy, following his triumphal entry into "sinful Budapest" in 1920 – in his eyes it was a decadent, communist and, above all, a Jewish city. During the 1930s and 1940s, the hotel's balls were the highlight of Budapest's social calendar, when debutantes danced on a glass floor laid over its pool. The ostentatious domed drinking fountain in front of the hotel has been the source of some controversy: symbolizing the eight springs of Budapest, it was erected without planning permission, and the city authorities toyed with the idea of pulling it down before relenting.
The attached Gellért Baths (entered from Kelenhegyi út to the right of the main entrance, though hotel guests can go down in the lift in their bathrobes) are magnificently appointed with majolica tiles and mosaics, and a columned, Roman-style thermal pool, with lion-headed spouts. In the summer visitors can also use the outdoor pools, including one with a wave machine, on the terraces behind the main baths.