Tourism
Sóskút salt baths
Sóskút salt baths
Sóskút has long been a favourite place for excursions and festivals/events in the region. This is because of the picturesque surroundings and the proximity of the town. It has a peaceful tranquillity, ozone-rich air and, in past times, therapeutic salt water. Its use has been a well-established practice until recently.
The first scientific paper by Dr. Béla Balázs – László Ipó, “The Székely-Sóskút in Sóskút, Székely-Kristur”, was published in 1974.
Our knowledge of Sóskút is based on the work of Kálmán Szabó, who wrote a book on the history of Sóskút between 1904 and 1919.
The development of the Sóskút into a real spa has remained a promising possibility in every age, although, for complex reasons, it never transcended its local character. Sóskút, famous far beyond its local interest, is located on the left bank of the Nagyküküllő in the valley of the Sós stream, about three kilometres south-west of the town.
The place names Sósvíz and Sósvízpataka are mentioned in documents from the end of the 16th century. The recollections of older people accurately record that in Sóskút there were actually two salt wells at one time.
Sóskút salt baths
Local memory also tells us about the extraction of salt by evaporating the water, even in the lean years of the 1970s and 1980s. The salt springs are also mentioned in a census of the Fiatfalvi manor dating from 1805. The place called Sós víz (Salt Water) is adjoined by two salt wells from which twice a week the inhabitants used to get salt from the water. In the Fiatfalva Parish Records it is written that “the Salt wells are good and useful for this village”, about Keresztúrfalva.
The earliest evidence of the use of hot springs for spa bathing dates back to the early 20th century, with its medicinal waters and wonderful geography. According to a chemical analysis, its water was very rich in iodine salts. Apart from this, they also used the water from the wells for bathing. The Sóskút was for the locals a simple bathing place, while also being a tourist attraction in the region. In the local newspaper, there were critical articles that conveyed the need for the spa to be improved in order to make better use of its thermal waters. The Sóskút would be an amazing place for a spa. Near the Sóskút, there is an outdoors cinema, which may be used by the locals.
The Sóskút area is currently abandoned and the future of the historical salt baths remains uncertain – only time will tell if its popularity will be renewed.
Sources used : “Lelkek tárháza” by Sándor-Zsigmond Ibolya
