PANNONIAN MELANCHOLY
A visit to Hungary does not go by without thinking about the Pannonian Sea, that in ancient times covered today’s plain. Over time, it retreated and left in the lowest area what is now known as Lake Balaton. The Pannonian Sea left a rich legacy to the country in the form of oil, natural gas and thermal waters. The thermal water was discovered in Sárvár by coincidence when they were exploring for petroleum. Upon this wealth the city of Sárvár has also developed, a city that lies in the most famous spa-health area of Hungary and which connects with the Spa road places Sárvár, Buk, Kesztely and Heviz by Lake Balaton.
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The Pannonian basin is a part of Europe where time has stopped and the inhabitants seem to be living in harmony with nature. The region does not lack national parks and protected areas – there are infinite fields of cereal and corn and sunflower fields cover almost every piece of fertile lowland. One gets the feeling as if one is riding the waves of the former Pannonian Sea, as the landscape is always a little raised and then lowered.
[dropshadowbox align=”none” effect=”lifted-both” width=”900px” height=”” background_color=”#bed68b” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]Healing water – the most attractive part of the Sarvar area is without doubt its two completely different types of healing water, upon which the development of Sarvar is based. [/dropshadowbox]
The traditional Pannonian villages abound with friendly and hospitable people with a sense of tradition and heritage conservation. The city has developed on the river Raba, the name of the city, like with other Hungarian words, is coined from the words Sar (mud) and Var (castle). The city has developed around a fortified Renaissance castle, Nadasdy, which is the symbol of the city and today arranged into a museum. The surrounding landscape is in terms of adventure not too exciting, but the social and cultural potential makes it interesting and attractive for convention guests, mostly because of authenticity and the time that is here moving a little more slowly. The city has somehow retained the character of a village in a positive way.
[dropshadowbox align=”none” effect=”lifted-both” width=”900px” height=”” background_color=”#bed68b” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]34th Anniversary of International Folklore Festival – The Nádasdy castle Culture Centre and Library has organised the International Folklore Festival since 1981. The Festival has recently evolved into the most significant Folklore Festival of the Transdanubian Region.[/dropshadowbox]
It seems that the whole development of the city is subordinate to tourism today. Sárvár is very nicely and attractively arranged. The great advantage is its proximity to Austria and to Vienna and Bratislava airports. To Vienna airport it is approximately 130 km, only a shot more to the airport in Bratislava and to Graz airport it is just 150 km.
Administratively it belongs to the region of West Pannonia, which has about one million inhabitants and is a multicultural region, which in terms of development is the second most developed region of Hungary immediately after Budapest. This can be observed through the solid quality of the infrastructure. To the meetings industry goes its location is close to many major cities: Vienna, Graz, Győr and others, where there is a large concentration of companies with potential for the organisation of events and a lot of people with high purchasing power.
[dropshadowbox align=”none” effect=”lifted-both” width=”900px” height=”” background_color=”#bed68b” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]3rd Annual Sikh History Competition – Gobind Sarvar aims to connect the youth to the rich and deep history of the Sikh way of life and the invaluable lessons taught by Guru Ji’s.[/dropshadowbox]
The city of Sárvár is a tourist centre of the region and is considered to be a young wellness tourism destination. The thermal water, with a temperature of 92 degrees Celsius, was an excellent basis for the development of tourism. This was captured by the construction of an enormous medical and wellness centre in 2002, which was enlarged and renovated in 2010. The health resort has earned the title Royal Spa, due to the high quality of service and exceptional healing properties of the water. With the construction of the new hotels Park Inn by Radisson, Vitalmed, Spirit Hotel and others, the number of guests rose from 26,000 in 2001 to 444,000 in 2011.
[dropshadowbox align=”none” effect=”lifted-both” width=”900px” height=”” background_color=”#bed68b” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]Superbrands Award for Spirit Hotel Sárvár in 2014 – Spirit Hotel Sárvár received another award, this year getting the Superbrands award. This award is made according to the opinion of the committee of voluntary and independent experts, as well as the opinion of guests.[/dropshadowbox]
Two of the most famous hotels in Sárvár were only opened a few years ago. The five-star hotel Spirit was opened in 2008 and Park Inn/Radisson in 2006. In terms of quality the Spirit hotel stands out, being very polished, professional and fully on the level of category 5 *****. The four-star Park Inn Hotel has 223 rooms and is connected by a walkway to Sárvár Spa. The hotel has a perfectly designed conference centre. The largest hall can accommodate up to 300 guests. Moreover, it also has 4 smaller capacity halls. Hotel Spirit is basically a spa hotel with superior thermal offer, which extends to over 10,000 m2. At the same time it is boasting a modern multifunctional conference hall for up to 500 guests that can also be partitioned into several smaller halls.
Sárvár hides numerous natural and cultural gems and positively surprises guests. The open horizon of the Pannonian Plain entails openness and hospitality of the people and the typical Pannonian melancholy.
[dropshadowbox align=”none” effect=”lifted-both” width=”900px” height=”” background_color=”#bed68b” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]XV. Blassmusic Castle Festival – Sárvár has a rich musical history. One of the town’s most favorite events is the Castle Festival.[/dropshadowbox]
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Destination mark : 3,78 – QUALITY MEETINGS DESTINATION
Marks:
5 excellent meeting destination
4 quality meeting destination
3 recommendable meeting destination
2 average meeting destination
1 passable
Individual grades:
A. Natural and cultural factors: 4,60
Natural conditions with numerous pristinely preserved areas and a rich cultural heritage of the area are ideal for the development of sustainable tourism. Autochthony is a big advantage in the development of convention tourism.
B. General and transport infrastructure 3,60
Sárvár enjoys the advantages of its position near the main emitive markets in the region and the major transport hubs. Throughout the history of the region it has acted as a bridge between East and West,
C. Tourist infrastructure 3,70
Although the city has a long and rich history, it seems like in the last 10 years it has blossomed. The mainstay of tourism is medicinal water for rehabilitation and relaxation, complemented by outdoor activities, from visits to the Arboretum to rowing on the lake and learning about the history of the area at a museum collection at the Castle.
D. Meetings infrastructure 3,10
Spirit Hotel and Park Inn by Radisson have certainly set guidelines for the development of convention tourism in Sárvár. Park Inn with the tradition and the knowledge of hotel chains, Spirit, so to speak from the point of zero, but by following the best international hotels. Spirit Hotel also offers the largest hall in the city, accommodating up to 500 participants.
E. Subjective grade: 3,90
The Hungarian proverbial hospitality was confirmed during the visit to Sárvár. It shows already in abundant portions of food and an overall desire to please guests.
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Comparison with the region:
Sárvár is a city that at the moment only a few would place somewhere on the convention destinations map. Development has been primarily focused on health tourism. Once you get to know it, it is an elegant and fresh destination that is surprising because it is not ostentatious.
Cool meetings:
Famous Hungarian meat stews are paprikás, a paprika stew, meat simmered in thick creamy paprika gravy, and pörkölt, a Hungarian stew with boneless meat (usually beef or pork), onion, and sweet red paprika powder.
Fun fact: Pannonia Ring circuit is only about six kilometres from Sárvár and is an excellent venue for incentive programmes.
