Borza Tibor (szerk.): A Magyar Kereskedelmi és Vendéglátóipari Múzeum évkönyve 1982 (Budapest, Magyar Kereskedelmi és Vendéglátóipari Múzeum, 1982)
Petneki Áron: A magyarországi gyógyfürdők idegenforgalma és vendéglátása a XVIII. század végén és a XIX. század elején
par Áron Petneki TOURISM AND THE CATERING INDUSTRY IN THE THERMAL BATHS OF HUNGARY AT THE END OF THE 18 t h AND EARLY 19 t h CENTURY. The opulence of Hungary in medicinal waters has been well-known for many centuries. Nevertheless, it was not before the late eighteenth century that an organized arrangement was made for the regular visitor to the medicinal wells. It was primarily Emperor Joseph II who insisted that the Hungarian spas should be regularly developed (particularly Balatonfüred). Strangely enough, the Napoleonic wars contributed to a flourishing tourist trade in Hungary, since most West-European, especially the German watering places had been cut off from the Hapsburg Empire. This economic prosperity also enabled the Hungarian nobility to become regular visitors to the Hungarian spas. Many travelers were favourably impressed because the Hungarian watering places were very cheap — this, on the other hand, was by no means a positive feature. It was mainly due to an economic backwardness and to a lower level of services offered to the visitors. The still surviving feudal obligations also prevented the modernization of most of the spas. The majority of the medicinal wells had been in private ownership, belongig to temporal and ecclesiastical landowners and to the municipalities. The baths themselves were never in the hands of their owners but were run by tenants, so called lease-holders. The tenant, on the other hand, had his hands bound by the existing contract which prevented the raising of prices, consequently his profit remainded minimal. Nevertheless, the visitors to Hungarian watering places were in their majority Hungarian, but there were a good many coming from other countries of the Hapsburg Empire. To acquaint the public with the Hungarian spas and to increase the number of visitors books were written which arose as specific crossings between the medical handbook and the ordinary guidebook. This type of literature devoted most of its pages to the description of sceneic beauty, the romantic setting of the place, going back at the same time to the historic past, the Roman and Turkish roots of the baths. The outward appearence of Hungarian watering places presented a typical picture: in the centre was placed the bathing establishment with the well-house. The watering place provided adequate walking streets, a chapel, restaurant and in the larger settlements also a separate coffeehouse. However, there were a good many difficulties too: many visitors wanted to be self-sufficient, so they brought along their own bedding, kitchen equipment, even their private cooks. At the same time, as early as the begenning of the nineteenth centruy, the better watering places introduced table d'hote services, where the meals were provided to all at the same time. According to surviving bills of fare, there were six- to eight-course midday meals, with many meat dishes. The prices in the Hungarian spas were 164
