Anna Well and Medicinal Bath

Only a single public bath survived the devastating Great Flood of 1879, thus, city leaders decided to have a new one built in order to satisfy arising local needs. A design contest was soon issued that the renowned Budapest-based architects Adolf Láng and Antal Steinhardt won. Construction works had been far from smooth; the building finally opened its gates, together with the cultural palace of the city (Móra Ferenc Museum), at the millennial ceremony in 1896. The famous local furniture maker and upholsterer Mór Seifmann made all the furniture for the new building. The building was less than a successful business; aside of the deficiencies occurred during its construction, its water had to be heated up by steam boilers running on coal, filling the downtown area with heavy smoke. The turning point happened when a new well was drilled in 1926. Its 49,2°C water proved to be beneficial for musculoskeletal diseases and stomach issues. By having plenty of hot water no further heating was necessary in the bath; furthermore, surplus water was made available for residents trough a fountain. Local spirits dealer Dezső Patzauer was first to recognize the great potentials of the new well and started bottling its water in 1937-ben, then had a drinking hall built over it which was demolished in 1963. He named the mineral water after his daughter Anna, later, the steam bath was also named after her. The well, which was removed to its current place in 1976, has become one of the symbols of the city having a dancing girl’s statue on top of its superstructure. The statue is the only public artwork of the world-famous Szeged-born Parisian sculptor József Csáky (1984). The medicinal bath still functions, providing medical treatments and wellness services.