Considering its name, what stories could this B\u00e9la kir\u00e1ly k\u00fatja tell? This spring is located in Budapest’s 12th district. You can find it along B\u00e9la kir\u00e1ly Road. Look for number 30.
The B\u00e9la kir\u00e1ly k\u00fatja was once known as Kir\u00e1ly-k\u00fat during the Turkish times. That translates to King’s Well or King’s Spring. D\u00f6brentey G\u00e1bor added the B\u00e9la prefix later.
This B\u00e9la kir\u00e1ly k\u00fatja emerges within a gabled structure. Kois P\u00e1l placed a memorial tablet in the gable in 1847. The spring originates at the end of a 20-meter-long vaulted corridor. It’s in a spring shaft below the surface. The water emerges from 3.4 meters deep.
The water temperature at B\u00e9la kir\u00e1ly k\u00fatja is around 7.5-8 degrees Celsius. The dissolved material content is 796 mg/l. It has a higher calcium and magnesium ion content than V\u00e1rosk\u00fat water.
Like V\u00e1rosk\u00fat and Sv\u00e1bforr\u00e1s, B\u00e9la kir\u00e1ly k\u00fatja’s water was piped into Buda Castle. This happened as early as the 15th century. Imagine the royalty quenching their thirst with this very water. They were blissfully unaware of its source high in the hills.
Now I want to tell you something about a person with the name B\u00e9la Kir\u00e1ly, even though he has nothing to do with this spring. B\u00e9la Kir\u00e1ly was a key figure in the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. He was also a military historian and politician. He died in 2009 at the age of 97. He had three successful careers. He was a military leader, historian, author and politician.
Born in 1912, B\u00e9la Kir\u00e1ly became an officer. During World War II, he was in a position to help Jewish conscripts. In 1945, he rejoined the army. But in 1951, he was arrested on false charges. He was on death row for almost five years.
Released on the eve of the 1956 Revolution, he commanded the National Guard. After the Soviets invaded, he fled to the United States. In 1989, he returned to Hungary and was promoted to the highest rank in the military.
He earned a PhD from Columbia University in 1966. Later, he joined Brooklyn College. Kir\u00e1ly launched two publication series. These focused on Hungarian history and East-Central Europe.
Kir\u00e1ly returned to Hungary in 1989. He was elected to the National Assembly in 1990. He was a founder of the Hungarian Studies Association. Kir\u00e1ly’s voice was always one of moderation and tolerance.
So, while B\u00e9la kir\u00e1ly k\u00fatja provides refreshing water, B\u00e9la Kir\u00e1ly helped shape Hungarian history. Two very different figures sharing a similar name. Both leave a lasting impression.