Our History
The Szalay family arrived in Polish lands from Hungary after 1772. Józef Szalay was born in Drohobycz and attended school in Nowy SÄ…cz. He graduated from the University of Lviv, became a civil servant, and moved to Lviv, and later to Szczawnica. He is the creator of the spa in Szczawnica, which he inherited from his father, Stefan Szalay, in 1839.
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Józef Szalay's ambition was to transform Szczawnica into a spa rivaling the most famous resorts in Europe. Thanks to his leadership attractions such as the chapel, the first bath houses, restaurants and stylish guesthouses were built - exemplifying Polish spa architecture. Józef Szalay also built and promoted many architectural structures surrounding discovered water sources - such as Magdalena, Jan, Szymon, Waleria, Helena, and Aniela. He expanded and modernized the Upper Spa Park and organized the first raft trips through the Dunajec Gorge.
He commissioned a chemical analysis of Szczawnica's waters and maintained a friendship with the Polish balneologist and professor Józef Dietl, after whom a square located in the heart of the Pieniny spa near Szalay I villa, is named. During his administration, Szczawnica became a popular summer resort for the aristocracy and artistic circles. It was adored and visited by, among others, Cyprian Kamil Norwid, Józef Ignacy Kraszewski, Adam Asnyk, Henryk Sienkiewicz, Maria Konopnicka, BolesÅ‚aw Prus, Jan Wiktor, Lucjan SiemieÅ„ski, Jan Matejko, and Wincenty Pol.
Timeline
Late 1880s
1908
1951
1992 - Present
The Szalay I Hotel in Szczawnica is built as the National Hotel by Baroness Julia Gostkowska-Szalay, the daughter-in-law of Józef Szalay, the founder of Szczawnica
In 1908, after Julia’s death, both villas passed to her son, Józef StanisÅ‚aw Szalay, who transferred them to his second wife, Henrietta from the PruszyÅ„ski Szalay family.
The Hotel is nationalized and taken over by the Worker’s Holiday Fund. For some time, an exhibition of paintings by Zofia Krzyszkowska-Rychlicka was held in the dining room of Villa Szalay I.
Szalay I Hotel is reclaimed by Henrietta’s heirs and is now managed and owned by Anna and Mieczyslaw Mastalski.
The Szalay I Hotel in Szczawnica is part of a complex of two villas built in the 1890s by Baroness Julia Gostkowska-Szalay, the daughter-in-law of Józef Szalay, the founder of Szczawnica, a well-known spa & tourist resort city in Southern Poland. Both villas, officially listed in the Polish Registry of Monuments, represent a model example of wooden spa architecture inspired by the Swiss style. Originally, villa Szalay I was called the National Hotel, while the adjacent villa Szalay II was the private home of the Szalay family.
In 1908, after Julia’s death, both villas passed to her son, Józef StanisÅ‚aw Szalay, who transferred them to his second wife, Henrietta from the PruszyÅ„ski Szalay family. Henrietta lived in villa Szalay II with her sister and also provided one of the apartments in this house to the Polish writer Jan Wiktor, whom she supported. Jan Wiktor dedicated his poetry collection titled ‘Through Tears’ to Henrietta Szalay, published in 1922. Currently, a street where both buildings stand bears the name of the writer.
In 1951, three years before Henrietta’s death, both Szalay villas were nationalized and taken over by the Worker’s Holiday Fund. For some time, an exhibition of paintings by Zofia Krzyszkowska-Rychlicka was held in the dining room of Villa Szalay I.
In 1992, both villas were reclaimed by Henrietta’s heirs and are now managed and owned by Anna and Mieczyslaw Mastalski. For over 25 years, the Mastalski family has significantly modernized and renovated the building, raising the standards offered to hotel guests, while preserving the historical charm of the property.
The National Hotel, later named Szalay I Hotel - Szczawnica, 1910
