Rudas Thermal Bath and Swimming Pool, Ottoman thermal bath and spa in District I, Budapest, Hungary.
Rudas is a thermal bath at Döbrentei tér 9 on the Buda side of the Erzsébet Bridge, founded in 1571/1572 under Ottoman rule. Its centrepiece is an octagonal pool beneath a dome carried by eight columns, one of them green, which gave the bath its old Turkish name, Yeşil Direkli Ilıca. The complex holds six therapy pools and one swimming pool, with water between 10 and 42 °C.
The bath was founded in 1571/1572 under Ottoman rule, though Ali Pasha of Buda had repairs begun in 1556. Sokollu Mustafa Pasha, governor of Buda from 1566 to 1578, rebuilt it and named it the Green Columned Bath; an inscription on a stone above the Juve spring records his commission. After Ottoman rule it passed to the Court Chamber, and in 1703 Leopold I granted it to the city of Buda.
The bath's Ottoman name was Yeşil Direkli Ilıca, "bath of the green column", after one green column among the eight supporting the pool dome. Hungarians also call the water Harmatvíz, bottled for nearly 90 years from the Hungária spring. On women's days in the 1930s only 20–30 guests came, against over 120 on men's days.
The complex is open daily and offers both traditional bathing experiences and modern wellness treatments for visitors of all types. Those interested in specific therapies or rooftop access should plan ahead, as hours and services may vary seasonally and some offerings require advance booking.
The octagonal pool sits under a dome held by eight columns; one of them was green, which gave the bath its old Turkish name, Yeşil Direkli Ilıca ("bath of the green column"). The pool was used in 1997 to film a scene for the adult movie Concupiscence.
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