Mournful: World-famous former Hungarian spa left to rot – VIDEO

The former Hungarian Herkulesfürdő (now Băile Herculane, meaning Hercules Baths) is in a terrible state, its buildings are literally falling apart. The place once belonged to Hungary, now it is in Romania. For several years, the Romanian authorities have been trying to find out who was responsible for the collapse of the spa.

The former Hungarian spa, Herkulesfürdő, in shambles

Herkulesfürdő, known as Băile Herculane in Romanian, is a significant architectural legacy of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, Index reports, based on Átlátszó.hu. The complex is located in the Cerna Valley, 400 km from Bucharest, the Romanian capital. It has a long history, dating back to the time of the Emperor Trajan. The ruler probably had it built as the baths of the temple and altar to Hercules.

Átlátszó.hu found the last Hungarian report about Herkulesfürdő from 1940. “To give a quantitative sense of the devastation taking place in Herkulesfürdő, it must be said that half of the 50 buildings on the Ministry of Culture’s list of monuments are in a state of extreme dilapidation,” Átlátszó writes. They add that the buildings are not just in a bad state, but are literally falling apart.

Largely the result of privatisation

The overall decline of the resort is largely the result of privatisation under the government of Adrian Năstase (PSD) in 2001. The article explains that after the Romanian state took over the spa after WWI, the government led by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) decided in 2001 to sell the facility to companies that had nothing to do with spa tourism but excellent political connections.