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This
website is a forum for all those who
would like to invent themselves, their
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English version
| Balázs Székely: Sovata, the 'Little Tiger' of Tourism |
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| The re-discovery of Sovata, a spa that has been famous for over a century, with its Lake Ursu, the 'Transylvanian Dead Sea', is one of the great success stories of the 90s in the region.
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History of Sovata
Sovata is a tiny town in the heart of Transylvania, Romania. It is a young town southwest of the Gurghin Mountain. In 1848, no one resided permanently there except for a few miners and lumberjacks. The salt mine collapsed at 11 a.m. on April 25, 1876 and, as a result, Lake Ursu (Bear Lake) as well as four other lakes were formed. According to the legend, there were heavy rains on that day, so the mine couldn't hold the heavy soil, and this caused the collapse. Five salt lakes appeared, of which Bear Lake is the largest.
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| Medve-tó |
At first the rich elite were interested in the village, doctors and lawyers settled there and built cottages. In 1901, Professor Sándor Kalicsánszky wrote about the heliotermic phenomenon and its medicinal effects, and this dramatically affected the village. Its reputation as a holiday resort spread so fast that people came not just from the cities in the region, but from Budapest and Bucuresti as well. By 1930, 76 cottages had been built. The size of these houses varied. There were houses for four, but there was also a 214-bed palace.
After World War II the villas were nationalized. In the 1970s the building complex consisted of four hotels. The health centre was also built at that time, and still houses many specialists. At the beginning of the 1990s, there were 76 villas and 4 hotels. The town improved at the same time: the population increased to 12.000. A furniture and a milk factory were established, and the stone mine increased its production which had previously been the reason for low unemployment before and after 1989.
The winds of change
In the history of the East European transitions, the Rumanian one was the bloodiest. The country was affected by this through the 1990s. National companies went bankrupt and foreign direct investment did not help stabilize the unstable economy. This resulted in increasing unemployment rate in the rural areas.
Privatization started to slowly play an active role when property was nationalized between 6 March 1946 and 22 December 1989. Because of nationalization, they had to be returned to their original owners. Rumanian privatization took two forms: The first type was 'activity privatization', which released operating rights. The second type is called 'real privatization', which continued privatization through the selling of shares. In our case both forms of privatization took place. In December 1989, 76 villas, 4 hotels and 2 campsites became part of a conglomerate where 4039 tourists could be accommodated at the same time. In 1991 a 100% state-owned corporation was established to keep all of the facilities together. The operating rights were given that same year, but the hotels remained under state ownership.
From the mid-1990s, the former villa owners and their descendants started to reclaim the hotels and the campsites because of the change in the law. Privatization reached its final phase in 2001. 82% of the state's stakes were sold in 2000, so the final contract could be signed on 18 May 2001. The hotels went to the property of Salina Invest, where Corvinus (a financial investor) and the Danubius Hotels (a professional investor) participated.
Because of the lack of governmental financial resources during the transition period, the inhabitants of Sovata waited for investors as if they were waiting for the Messiah. If the hotels weren't privatized, they would have to close in 2 or 3 years due to the deteriorating conditions. The renovation of the Sovata Hotel took place in 2002-2003 and now serves as a 3-star hotel. Its services also offer wellness and medical cures. These new services started to interest those guests who hadn't chosen to visit the tiny town in the 1990s. The improved beach attracts tourists and locals as well, which helps boost the local economy. The 'mütyürözők' (local expression for people who make handicrafts and souvenirs) can sell more of their products, thus improving family economies. Privatization has had a positive effect on the life of the town and the hotels. These improved conditions contributed to Sovata becoming the 'little tiger' of tourism in the region.
Danubius Hotel Sovata
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| Danubius Hotel Szováta |
After the full reconstruction, the hotel was chosen as one of the best hotels in Romania in 2003. As you enter the city, a huge billboard shows the way to the hotel. Sovata has been a European-wide known spa and holiday resort for about a century and owes its reputation to Lake Ursu, which lies next to the hotel. The lake is surrounded by rich flora, and is called the Dead Sea of Transylvania due to its high salinity. It is the only lake in Europe which has heliotermical effects.
You can find more details about the hotel at the Danubius Hotel Sovata website.
This development and growth of Sovata would not have been possible unless there had been an ethusiastic, Sovata-born man, who felt responsibility towards both the town and Lake Ursu. This person is Mr. János Fülöp, the CEO of Balneo Climaterica. Mr. Fülöp had worked for the hotel before the transition, but after 1989 he took part in the life of the city as a representative in the local government. In the early 1990s, dissension was observed all around Eastern Europe and resulted in a clash of interests. This trend emerged in Sovata as well, mainly around the utilization and operation of the resort. János Fülöp emphasized that the hotel complex must be kept together in order to serve the interests of the tourism and the city of Sovata. Towards this purpose, the Balneo Climaterika Plc. was established and Mr. Fülöp was elected the CEO of the company. As such, he has managed to protect the quality of the lake and keep most of the hotels together. He has succeeded in preserving this wonderful place and in securing employment for future generations. I encourage everyone who reads this article to set out on a beautiful sunny summer day and explore the special glamor of the spa, the kindness of the local people and the hospitality of the villas.
You can read more about salt layers at the following website.
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Mountains
cannot be surmounted except by winding
paths.
Goethe |
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