Swimming Among Water Lilies in World’s Biggest Thermal Lake – What Benefits Does the Water of Heviz Provide to the Body?

Winter or autumn do not have to be an obstacle if you are planning to have a vacation and relax at one of the Hungarian spas. Why? Lake Heviz, the biggest active thermal lake in the world, has a temperature of 22 degrees Celsius throughout the year, and in the summer, its water temperature goes up to 38 degrees Celsius.

Hungary has a centuries-old culture of spa treatment and is recognized for it not just in Europe, but worldwide. This is what we learned when we toured this lake during our tourist-journalist visit to Hungary two weeks ago, organized by the National Tourism Organization of Hungary. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the opportunity to take a swim in it, but we were encouraged to come back soon.

Heviz is visited by those who want to recover their bodies, because the medical properties of the water at Lake Heviz were proven back in the distant past. The water has a dual origin – thermal and karst. Unlike other warm water lakes, the water flow of thermal lakes is not based on volcanic ground, but on peatland. The bottom of this medicinal Hungarian lake is covered by a layer of peatland up to several meters thick. Due to the presence of special living organisms in the mud, the lake provides unique medical properties.

The warmth and the medical properties of the water are also protected by certain environmental factors, primarily because the lake is surrounded by a wide forest on 34 hectares. In the winter, early spring or cold autumn mornings, the lake is covered by a light layer of vapor. It will prevent you from freezing, and the plants that cover a considerable percentage of the lake’s surface also prevent the water from cooling. During our tour, foreign tourists enjoyed bathing in the lake in the early morning hours, even though the temperature outside was around 7 degrees Celsius.

The way the water moves from the left to the right and from the bottom up provides the swimmers with a kind of a massage. In the winter, the condensed vapor forms a layer on the lake’s service, creating a natural inhalatorium. Breathing in this vapor regenerates the worn-out vocal folds.

Several water lilies can be found on the lake surface: the white water lily is indigenous to the area, whereas the purple one was brought over from India 100 years ago. The quality of the water is constantly checked through various measuring methods and with the help of specially trained divers.

The lake was formed at the same time as Lake Balaton, and the water from the current spring started flowing 20,000 to 22,000 years ago. In its geological past, the water at the ancient Heviz flowed from a higher level than now.

Medicinal properties

The medicinal water in Heviz is rich in solutes and gaseous substances, thus merging the favorable attributes of carbonated, sulfur, calcium-magnesium-hydrogen carbonate and really mild radon-consistent medicinal water. It is recommended to spend half an hour at once in this water. The biologically active water of the lake is used for rehabilitation after joint and bone surgery procedures and for mitigating the symptoms of gout.

The mud, consisting of organic and inorganic substances, is rich with sulfur, which makes it very beneficial to the human body. In contact with the skin, all the necessary substances from the sulfur mud enter the organism. Considering active substances, sulfur can be built into articular cartilage, calcium is anti-inflammatory, magnesium has painkiller effects and carbonates make the skin silky. Do you need any more reasons to visit Heviz? Because, what have we learned from the pandemic? – prevention is crucial, that is, keeping the organism as healthy as possible, with all the minerals it needs.

What can act as an additional incentive is that the water in the lake renews itself twice a week, guaranteeing a high level of hygiene. Due to the strong composition of the water, children under 12 are not recommended to bathe in it.

When it comes to accommodation, you need not worry. The complex offers accommodation capacities as well, and jet-massage, a pool with medicinal mud, a salt cave and a steam bath are there for a full wellness experience.

While you’re visiting Heviz, take the opportunity to visit the local highlights, such as the Festetics Palace, the third biggest one in Hungary. There are also opportunities for an active vacation: footpaths, segway rides, horseback riding and the widely famous Hungarian gastronomy.

For those who love beaches, Lake Balaton is an excellent choice. It is precisely during the pandemic that local tourists rushed to Balaton, as an alternative to the seaside.

Teodora Brnjos

National Tourism Organization of Hungary

Lake Heviz

thermal lake

largest thermal lake

medicinal mud

medicinal lakes

sulfur water

sulfur medicinal properties

joint treatment

gout treatment

sulfur mud

spa rehabilitation

Lake Balaton