As just announced in the Hungarian press, 200 million forints from the central budget has been earmarked for the development of a year-round spa and lido where a Habsburg-era train station now stands.
Opened in 1867 and a main terminal until nearby Keleti was unveiled in 1884, Józsefváros station alongside Kerepesi cemetery in District VIII has lain empty for over a decade.
Initial plans called for a Holocaust memorial centre to be created here. When that fell through, the idea for a spa came about. The three-hectare site would feature indoor and outdoor pools, and a sauna complex.
According to preliminary explorations, thermal waters of 70-72 degrees sit at a depth of 1,300 metres, their composition similar to those that supply the popular Széchenyi Baths in City Park.
Recent years have seen several spas and lidos redeveloped around Budapest, including the Palatinus, the Paskál, the Dagály and Csillaghegy, as well as the Pesterzsébet Jodos-Sós Spa and Baths down in south Pest.
