The bathing culture of Szoboszló

In the 1920s, oil was eagerly sought in the Great Hungarian Plain, but instead of the expected oil, hot water broke forth in Hajdúszoboszló. The water found was tested by geologist Ferenc Vajna Pávai, who is said to have said this when he arrived in town: "Where there is warm water at shallower depths, it should be even warmer at greater depths". He was right, because on 26 October 1925, the muddy gassy water erupted in sections around the rig, releasing among a huge cloud of steam at a temperature of 73 °C. The water was initially discharged into a nearby stream, which was welcomed by local residents, who noticed that women washing in the stream water had a beneficial effect on their Musculoskeletal symptoms. The first rudimentary hot springs opened in 1927. The iodine-rich, bromine-rich, bicarbonated thermal waters became a major tourist destination.

The rise and fall of the Hotel Gambrinus

The legendary Hotel Gambrinus opened its doors in 1936 after its entrepreneur, restaurant owner Lajos Vitéz Nánássy bought the "Postásüdülő" opposite the spa. His plans for a forty-room hotel in the centre of Hajdúszoboszló were supported by the Dreher Breweries. At that time, Szoboszló did not yet have an overabundance of accommodation, so it seemed a good investment to build a hotel in the village. The design was entrusted to Kálmán Dávidházy, who dreamt up an unusually modern building. The hotel, with three entrances and initially 35 rooms, was designed in the Bauhaus style.

By the way, do you know who Gambrinus was? His portrait is still very popular in Belgian and Dutch pubs, and he's not exactly unknown here either. According to German-Alpine folklore, this figure, who adorns the walls of beer pubs, clutching a beer cup and enthroned among the barley barrels, is the inventor of beer. None of this is true, of course. Because Gambrinus never existed in this form, but it is certain that the Nánássy family had a restaurant called Gambrinus in Debrecen.

Lajos Nánássy was born in Debrecen in 1895. In World War I he fought as a soldier in the 39th Infantry Regiment of the Imperial and Royal Army. In 1928 he married Margit Böszörményi, the daughter of a famous family of innkeepers in Debrecen. The young couple first rented the Korona Guesthouse in Debrecen, then the Gambrinus in Debrecen. According to the newspapers of the time, the restaurant was a frequent meeting place for the officers.

What was the hotel like? This is how the press of the time described the hotel. "It has two large tourist rooms furnished with 10 beds. An artistic and pretty lobby, a restaurant, a pub, and a cosy garden in which a gypsy band from Budapest plays in the evenings. The rooms are beautifully furnished. There is hot and cold water in the rooms. The glass-walled staircase is unique and impressive, and the whole hotel is elegantly built and designed.”

The opening ceremony was of course attended by an elite audience, including dignitaries from Debrecen and Hajdúszoboszló, but also many from the capital. After the opening, the interest was so great that rooms were booked in advance for the entire spa season. There was a year when the Holéczy band played the whole season. On the terrace, renowned guests sipped their coffee and enjoyed the food specialities. When it was a fair weather, the people of Szomboszló - sometimes hundreds of them - would gather here to listen to the music. Of course, the beer-drinking guests were disturbed, so the owner had to raise the fence . He had posts installed around it, to which white fabric was attached to protect the guests' incognito.

The rear of the hotel was opened in 1940, with 32 more rooms. During the war, the building was in a state of complete disrepair, as it was occupied first by the German and then by the Soviet army. In its heyday, it had over 50 employees and the Holéczy Orchestra provided the great music. There were plans to connect the two buildings with a glass roof, but this could not be realised. By then, the larger factories and plants had become state-owned, but the Nánássy family did not expect what happened in 1949. They lost Gambrinus completely. In typical fashion of the time, Nánássy was kept on for a while, as guests had already booked the previous year, and they thought they could not find a more reliable doorman than the former owner.

In August 1949, he was told that he had no further business at the Gambrinus, and a young couple from Budapest took over. In the meantime, the Nánássy family received a deportation order, but in the end, in consideration of the wife's health, they did not have to leave their apartment in Debrecen. The building changed hands several times after that, and continued to be a popular restaurant in the 1960s. In the 1970s, the Gambrinus, then owned by a state-owned company, lost its importance. "By the 1990s, the name had been stripped away, the colourful neon sign had disappeared and the yellow and blue house was all that was left: DISCO." The privatisation that followed the change of regime also affected Gambrinus, the property changed hands several times over a period of fifteen years, and by the 2000s it was certain that it would be demolished.

According to the city's public council meetings, many people wanted to see the building saved. However, they concluded that because of its very poor condition, renovation would be unprofitable. Considering that little has been spent over the years to preserve the state of the former hotel building, this is not surprising. Today, the hotel, which stands on a valuable plot of land, is replaced by an apartment block, and the only reminder of the former hotel is the name Gambrinus.

Fortunately, the guest book, cutlery, glasses, key rings and bed linen of the former hotel have been preserved in a museum.

Sources:

Bihari-Horváth László (szerk.): A Bocskai István Múzeum Évkönyve 2.

Gambrinus szálloda

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translated by L. G.