BY THE early 19th century, the spa in Bardejov was one of the most visited in the Kingdom of Hungary. However, the spa’s boom was interrupted by a disastrous fire in 1856.
The complex was important to the town of Bardejov, both for its reputation and as a source of income. In the years following the fire, the town helped fund repairs of the damaged buildings. In 1890, the spa received a significant financial boost from the Zimányi–Schwarcz family, which was used to make a number of important additions and upgrades.
At the end of the 19th century several modern hotels, like the Széscényi, Deák and Erzsébet, were built, and were considered to be valuable additions to the spa.
One can see the most prominent of these hotels, the Erzsébet (Elisabeth in English), in this colourised early 20th-century postcard. The hotel took five years to build, according to the plans of architect Flamm, and was designed in the spirit of Hungarian Art Nouveau. Today, the facility is called the Astoria and remains one of the more interesting sites at the spa.
