Sarvar

History of Sarvar

The lands of modern Sarvar were already inhabited in prehistoric times, as evidenced by numerous archaeological finds: Neolithic ceramic fragments, bronze tools and Late Bronze Age burials. In the 10th year the lands were conquered by the Romans, later there was a Celtic settlement, in the 9th century there was a Carolingian dynasty, after which power was taken over by the Hungarian royal family. The name of the town comes from a clay castle surrounded by water and swamps (997 - 1031, Sarvar literally translated from Hungarian as "Castle of Mud"). In 1535, Tamas Nadasdy received Sarvar as a dowry, and he with his family did a lot to develop the city: established a school, a printing house (where in 1541 Hungary's first printed book in the Hungarian language - the New Testament - was published), in 1560 a fortress was built on the site of older buildings, and a trading town was turned into one of the cultural centers of the collapsing country.

In subsequent years, the city repeatedly changed owners, experienced decline in the XVII-XVIII centuries, and in the second half of the XIX century again began to develop actively. In 1871 a railway was built in Sarvar, in 1895 a sugar factory was opened, in 1904 a viscose factory was opened, small industry and retail trade were restored and the population began to grow. After the discovery of thermal springs in 1961, health tourism began to play an increasingly important role in the development of the city, in 1968 Sarvar was returned to the status of a city (taken in 1871), and in 1978 the cultural center of Sarvar moved to the Nadasdy castl. The first small resort was built in 1968, but Sarvar became a full-fledged resort in 2002, when a new bathhouse was opened.

Attractions of Sarvar

Therapeutic bath Sárvárfürdő

The central bathing area of the resort can hardly be called a landmark in the literal sense of the word, but all the guests of Sarvar, especially those who came for treatment, will definitely visit it. The complex with an area of 55 thousand square meters is located in a beautiful forest park zone, 500 meters from the city center. "Sárvárfürdő" has indoor and outdoor swimming pools with fresh water, thermal water pools, spa pools, world of saunas, 14 water slides (up to 15 meters high and 107 meters long), doctor's cabinets, treatment and diagnostic rooms, fitness room, bowling, beauty salon, a wide range of not only therapeutic, but also wellness/spa treatments. It's a fun and healthy place for all your family members to spend time.

Nadasdy Castle

The symbol of the city and one of the most outstanding monuments of architecture in Hungary is located on the south side of Kossuth Square. The modern castle began to be built around a three-storey residential tower in the southwest corner and a one-storey northern wing of the 13th century, the first mention of the castle dates back to 1288 year. In the second half and at the end of the XV century, residential and fortification buildings (performed in the Gothic style) were massively completed. In the XVI century a large closed courtyard appeared, and the perimeter of the fortress was surrounded by a moat. Of particular note are the frescoes on the ceiling of the Great Hall by Hans Rudolf Miller's brush and wall paintings depicting scenes from the Old Testament painted by Istvan Dorffmeister in 1769 year. The castle now houses the House of Arts, a museum and a library collected by Ferenc Nadasdi.

Arboretum

The Arboretum in Sarvar is one of the oldest collections of plants in Hungary. The fruit and vegetable garden was founded here back in 1546 and flourished until 1671, when Ferenc Nadasdi was executed and all his property was confiscated. In 1803, Ferdinand of Habsburg, who had considerably emptied and feralized the garden, spent a lot of time and energy to recreate and multiply the majesty of the dilapidated garden. He planted fruit trees and in another part of the garden there was an English park with oaks, rhododendrons, plane trees, linden trees and Japanese sophires. A fish pond was even built and the Gyöngyös stream that crossed the garden maintained the proper climate. The garden survived the wars without much loss and today it is an arboretum of 9 hectares with more than 300 species of trees and shrubs, including 400 year old oaks and other very old trees.

Boating Lake

Not far from the thermal bath there is a system of seven reservoirs with five landscaped islands inhabited by mallards and five bridges connecting them. Here you can go fishing, boat riding, and ice skating in winter.

Other attractions

In Sarvar and its surroundings there are still a lot of interesting places to pay attention to during your holidays. These include:

• "Calvary" Chapel on the Lord's Mount, built in 1758
• Roman Catholic Church of St. Miklos (Nicholas) of XV century
• Lutheran Church built in 1834-1836
• St. Ladislaus Catholic Church, erected in 1645
• St. Mark Church, dating back to the end of XIII century
• An amusement park with a rope park, climbing wall, archery field and other exciting offers
• Mount Sag, formed from a former volcano and the smallest natural reserve in the country.