Examples of applications of geothermal waters for recreation, heating and bottling in selected regions of Hungary

Abstract

Due to the favourable geothermal conditions in Hungary, where the geothermal gradient is about 1.5 times greater than the world average, the country has numerous centers, which use geothermal waters directly for heating, recreation, or bottling purposes. There are plenty of thermal and mineral water springs, most of which were known even 4000 years ago. This article presents different applications of geothermal waters, illustrated with examples of spas, recreation and balneology centers like the largest spa complexes in Europe - Széchenyi Spa and 500 years old Rudas Spa located in Budapest, Egerszalók with unique travertine deposit or Miscolctapolca in the area of Miskolc where a thermal karstic cave system originally carved and dissolved by the water in karstified Triassic limestone was transformed into a complex of geothermal swimming pools. The dynamic development of the geothermal energy uses system in Veresegyház, which total installed thermal capacity is nearly 13 MW with the total track length of 15 km geothermal pipe line, classify the Veresegyház as one of the most extended geothermal systems in Hungary.