Budapest II., Fő utca 84.
The Király Baths are of an average size. Their 21st century renovation is still awaited, but in the 1950’s it was realised that a significant part of the former baths had survived, even the elevated walls of the entrance hall (Figure 99). It is hoped that this renovation will find much preserved in the earth, and that during fresh construction-related research many fascinating details can be revealed.
Figure 99 . The Király Baths, Buda
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Founder: Sokollu Mustafa Pasha
Year of foundation: 1566–1574
Ottoman era name: Horos Kapi Ilijasi (Cockerel Gate Baths)
Type: thermal baths
Floor plan type: star-shaped (B type) (Figure 100) Director of Excavation: Győző Gerő
Year of Excavation: 1955
Publications: gErő 1958; gErő 1963; gErő 1980, pp. 90–96 HISTORY
The Király Baths were known in the Ottoman era as the Cockerel Gate Baths (Horos Kapi Ilijasi)124 or as the Baths at the Gate (see Marsigli).125 The earliest reference is in the foundation book of Sokollu Mustafa, which was written around 1578. In 1572, Franciscus Omichius was perhaps re-ferring to the Király Baths when he wrote: “The third bath, which lies in the direction of Óbuda, was built in the same manner”.126 Since the Császár Baths were only completed in 1574, Omichius could not have seen that, so we can posit 1566–1572 as the probable construction period for the Király Baths.
Earlier research127 revealed that Arslan Pasha, who car-ried out significant construction in the area, began the building of the Király Baths, which was then completed only by his successor, Sokollu Mustafa Pasha. However, ac-cording to recent research, Sokollu Mustafa Pasha (1566–
1578) clearly also raised this bath.128 The last renovation of the building and the related research took place in 1954–
1959. At that time, several Ottoman era construction peri-ods were not separated,129 but traces of renovations were identified: the modifications to the roof and the replace-ment of the roof tiles was dated to the 17th century.130
The year of Edward Brown’s visit, the spa burnt down in the great fire of Buda in 1669, but was then refurbished and
used once more.131 From the war of reconquest, however, it Figure 100 . The Király Baths survey plan from 1955
survived intact,132 although it is not out of the ques-tion that the entrance hall was damaged then. On March 3, 1687, the spa had a new owner. In the 18th and 19th centuries, major reconstruction took place, when it was renovated and restructured according to the needs of the day. In the 18th century, the Ot-toman building and the area surrounding it were built over, and in the 19th century the baths were enlarged with a grand classicist building.133 The Ottoman era building, including the domes, re-mained intact through the Second World War.
During the renovation of 1954–1959, archaeological research into the baths was carried out, during which the Ottoman era parts were identified and Figure 101 . Research on the Király Baths in 1954–1959
Figure 102 . The Király Baths in the 1960s, following refurbishment
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the domes were liberated (Figure 101). The research was con-ducted by Győző Gerő. The renovation created the present appearance of the spa (Figure 102). Since then, there has been no major refurbishment or research.
DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING
Győző Gerő carried out the research into the building in 1955, in connection with its reconstruction. He identified the Ottoman era parts among the buildings from various periods and searched for some detail of the Ottoman build-ing on a small area. The baths stood beside one of the entry points to the city, the Cockerel Gate, on the North-South main road. The baths are interesting because the thermal water is piped to it from the group of springs 700 meters north of the baths. It was the only thermal baths located within the Ottoman city fortifications.
The entrance hall
In the course of his research, Győző Gerő found that the walls of the Ottoman era entrance hall are of varying height but can be found in today’s building. The western wall of the bath reaches the first floor of today’s building, its high-placed window is still visible (Figure 103). On the other sides, only the base walls are extant. No original flooring or wells were exposed.
The warm area
Reconstruction of the warm room raises many questions.
The floor plan published by Győző Gerő shows a long room that extends beyond the hot room and the entrance hall. This is a rather strange solution and it differs from that generally used in the era concerned. It is likely that it was divided into several parts, but we do not know ex-actly how.
Figure 103 . Ottoman era window uncovered during restoration work at the Király Baths
Figure 104 . The original flooring and wall fountain of the Ottoman era hot room at the Király Baths
The hot room
The original stone flooring, the wash basins standing on them, the fronts of the fountains, and some of the original steps into the pool were exposed during the research. From these things we may suppose that there were benches in the large niches in the walls upon which the stone basins were placed. The significance of the fountain found here is that the remains of the basin and its front were preserved in this place alone (Figure 104–105).
The private baths
There are three rooms connected to the hot room, among which the two furthest were certainly private baths. Howev-er, the precise design of these can not be explored because of the pools constructed in the modern era. In the middle room there was a fountain. Győző Gerő assumed that the bath was supplied with water from this.
The 18th-century roof to the baths was dismantled during the refurbishment work of the 1960s, bringing the Otto-man era domes came to light once more.
Figure 105 . The hot room at the Király Baths as it is today
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