MaNDAHungarian National Digital Archive

Tusnádfürdő is a famous climatic thermal bath, yet many people know it because of the Bálványos Summer Free University, which has been held here since 1997. The bath was established in the middle of the 1800s, it was named the Pearl of Transylvania at the beginning of its flourishing, in the 1860s. Miraculous healings are associated with its name; the best known and most characteristic of which is the story of a shepherd boy grazing animals. Legend has it that a shepherd boy looking for his cattle wandering the marsh, was wading through the area and found that the sulphuric mud had a beneficial effect on his ulcerated feet. As usual, the beneficial effects of the springs that burst here were first enjoyed only by the locals, but by the turn of the century, Tusnádfürdő became a real thriving spa. In our latest article, its bathing culture comes to life.

This week we are goint to take readers to the north-western corner of Germany, to Lower Saxony, to the land of former Hanseatic cities, timber-framed houses, and wind farms. Its old towns, castles and forests that saw many battles almost take us back to medieval times.

The 52nd International Eucharistic Congress, which starts this week, will be held in Budapest this year, but this is not the first time that the historical event is held in our capital. In our selection this week, we recall the first Hungarian Congress of 1938, and also bring to life a little of the history of the event. Where was the first pilgrimage held? Which city's withdrawal helped Budapest win the organizing of the event? In our latest article, you can get answers to these questions, among other things.

Hévíz, a bath town known for hundreds of years, is just a stone's throw away from Lake Balaton. It is a place with a particular microclimate, one of its special features is the mysterious fog or mist that actually covers the lake, the other is the waterlilies on the surface of the water. Already the Romans could know about the beneficial effects of the medicinal lake, but Hévíz became a real bathing place because of the activities of the Festetics family. Its peak of popularity was in the period between the two world wars, with thousands of visitors due to the lake-based medicinal tourism. Still, the lake kept its secret for a long time, as attempts in the 1900s to find its source were unsuccessful. This week, the mysteries of Hévíz will be revealed.

Sopron has the second most national monuments in Hungary after Budapest. The historical downtown consists of only a few ancient streets, which hide the whole Hungarian history. The ornate doorways, the colourful facades of the houses, the cobbled streets and the terraces of many cosy cafés make Sopron one of the most romantic cities in Western Hungary.