Zalakaros is a resort town in the Nagykanizsa district of Zala county , in the area of the Zalaapáti ridge . It is located in the southeastern part of the county, between Keszthely and Nagykanizsa , and owes its tourism to the thermal baths operating in the settlement . He is a member of the Association of Hungarian Spa Towns. It is the 7th most popular settlement in Hungary in terms of guest nights spent in commercial accommodation. There is a civil guard in the city.
History
The first mention of the settlement is from 1254 as Korus . At that time, Hungarian-speaking castle servants with land lived in the village . King Bela ‘s wife brought foreign settlers here.
Its church was built in 1430 in the settlement, which was probably part of Somogy county at that time. Turkish times placed a heavy burden on the village, as both the Turks and the frontier soldiers serving in Kanizsa Castle mourned the crops of the locals. As a result, its population is almost completely depleted.
In the 18th century , the settlement was mentioned as a market town, which, however, could only be developed after the drainage of the surrounding swamps at the end of the 19th century , mainly due to the construction of the Southern Railway . It joined the traffic in the 1920s with intercity bus services. It was around this time that the local post office was also built. After the Second World War , emigration began, the primary direction of which became the highly industrialized Nagykanizsa .
In 1962 , thermal water was found in the settlement, and in 1965 , the spa was opened, which has been visited by more than 20 million people who want to relax and recover since its existence.Thanks to the spa, tourism started. Development and rapid development started under the effective management of the Zalakaros Recreation Area Development Committee. Zalakaros is still a significant tourist destination after the change of regimeremained a center, but new spas appearing in the area could be a serious competition for the town, which was granted city status in 1997 .
Tourism
In terms of guest nights spent in commercial accommodation establishments, it is the 7th most popular settlement in Hungary with 500 thousand guest nights (2016). Within this, the number of foreign guest nights was 119 thousand;
The largest sending markets are Germany (66 thousand), Austria (27 thousand) and the Czech Republic (15 thousand).
The Zalakaros Bath is an internationally renowned spa. Its water was discovered during a hydrocarbon exploration well in 1962. Medicinal water: 96 C ° from a depth of 2000 meters. Due to its composition and the size of the water supply, it is considered one of the most significant. Water composition: alkaline chloride, bicarbonate medicinal water, in which the combined presence of iodine, bromine, sulfur and fluorine forms a unique water composition in Europe. Chemical elements found in water include potassium and sodium, magnesium, iron, manganese, metaboric acid, metasilicic acid and free carbonic acid. Thermal water: the upper Pannon2 wells drilled in the stratum, owned by the bath produced 53 ° C water, according to its composition sodium chloride, hydrocarbonate. It promotes the after-treatment of chronic gynecological diseases, periodontal disease, musculoskeletal complaints (chronic inflammatory joint diseases), surgical musculoskeletal injuries, and dermatological problems.
