Budapest isn’t crowned the “City of Baths” simply because it boasts over 100 natural springs. Beneath the rising steam and grand architectural domes lies a millennia-old narrative, stretching from the Roman legions of Aquincum, to the beautiful Ottoman baths The Roman Foundations: Aquincum and the Birth of Bath Culture The history of the Budapest thermal baths dates back almost 2,000 years to the times of Rome. When the Roman Empire founded the town of Aquincum in what today is known as Óbuda (Part of Budapest), their selection of the site was primarily influenced by its rich sources of geothermal springs on the Danube fault line. For the ancient Romans, taking baths was an essential part of their routine, cleaning habits, and recovery after wars. Numerous archaeological digs have revealed a total of 14 different baths in this region. The biggest one, called the Thermae Maiores, was a huge military bathhouse…