Is this what happens when Szolnok embarks on a new project?

With this year’s beach season slowly getting underway in the „city of waters”, the beach remains closed despite the fact that the developers handed over the project in 2024. Using photographs taken over the years by the photographers of Magyar Építők, we have arranged them in chronological order to show just how many inconsistencies on the part of the city of Szolnok have led to the current situation.

According to reports, the Tiszaliget Spa in Szolnok could open in June 2026; work on the development began back in 2019

As a popular bathing spot in the region, the Tiszaliget lido in Szolnok – built in the 1960s – had long been in need of modernisation. In 2018, the county town’s leadership decided to expand the facility as part of a multi-billion-forint development project, adding new pools, sports pitches and catering facilities, whilst also modernising the complex with a visual design and mechanical systems that meet 21st-century standards. The foundation stone for the project aimed at the complete renovation of the Tiszaliget thermal baths was laid September 2019, and the design was carried out by SWIETELSKY Építő Kft. and Modinvest Kft. won the contract, including the construction work.

The local authority has sought to amend the 2019 contract on six occasions

Let us therefore examine the factors that have caused the project to take so long. According to our information, the contracting local authority has signed six contract amendments with the contractor consortium over the years. (The original contract was dated 30 May 2019.) To the best of our knowledge

• The first amendment (2019) was made because the actual ground conditions differed from the data provided in the tender documentation. We understand that the contractor received a geotechnical report that was not based on borehole investigations carried out beneath the building to be constructed.
• According to our information, when the site was taken over (in 2019), the pools and slides were not in the condition they had anticipated(!), even though the local council should have assessed, during the project’s preparatory phase, whether the existing and remaining elements were suitable for achieving the development’s objectives. Another indication of the lack of project preparation is that, contrary to the plans, the equipment on site was not actually there(!), even though it had been treated as „retained equipment” in the project, meaning that replacing it incurred further costs. Under these circumstances, the originally planned refurbishment was no longer feasible, so the Client decided to build new pools and replace the slides; however, to our knowledge, the funds available were insufficient for this. The consortium therefore had to restart the detailed design work, and a new task arose in the form of the planning permission process, which lasted until January 2020.
• A further amendment (2021) had to be made because the funding for the 50-metre pool and the replacement of the water slide arrived a year late; the contract was then amended again (2022) because the client revised their requirements in this regard, meaning that new plans also had to be drawn up for the construction work.
• We understand, however, that the main shortcoming – which also necessitated an amendment to the contract – was that thermal water of the required quantity and quality only became available more than five years after the deadline specified in the original contract (in July 2024). Having sufficient thermal water of the right quality in the area is the backbone of the entire development, as thermal water is required for everything in the project: filling the thermal pools, heating the cold-water pools and heating the buildings.

The spa has been open since 2024

The bathroom has been fully completed by SWIETELSKY Építő Kft. and Modinvest Kft..

The contractors handed the site back to the local authority in December 2024, and the facility received its occupancy permit in early 2025. The szol24.hu, in a previous article refers to official statements, noting that the total investment has now reached ten billion forints, as numerous modifications and unforeseen circumstances have complicated the project since construction began. The financial resources to cover the shortfall were finally made available by the end of 2025 (as reported in an article published in late December by szol24.hu). However, the local council remained silent for a long time regarding the opening of the baths.

On 12 March, during the pre-election campaign period, Mayor Mihály Györfi announced that the spa would open on 19 June and that the facility would be operated by Szolnoki Városüzemeltetési Kft..

As the public procurement database reveals, one of the reasons the spa has not yet been able to open is that the contracting local authority only began procuring the equipment needed to operate the spa six months after taking possession of the premises. The first phase was launched in June 2025, with several amendments, and the second in November 2025 (furniture, sunshades for the pools, waste bins, etc.). These were successfully completed in April 2026, so the equipment, furniture, interior fittings and toys required to operate the baths are now available. A public procurement tender for kitchen equipment, which was launched on 3 March 2026, is still ongoing.

Despite having awarded the contract to the consortium of contractors, the local authority is refusing to pay either the final invoice or the cost of the additional work

The final invoice amounts to more than 500 million forints. Payment was due on 28 February 2025, but has still not been made. To our knowledge, the local authority has not paid the more than 2 billion forints claimed by the consortium for additional work and costs arising from the delay, even though the draft contract regarding this had been agreed upon by the parties, Ferenc Szalay personally promised the consortium that the funds would be provided, but after repeated delays, he ultimately did not sign the contract.

According to our information, the city of Szolnok is citing warranty defects as the reason for withholding the payment. Mihály Györfi claimed on his programme ATV Straight Talk that the consortium building the Tiszaliget lido wants to ruin the city by making the people of Szolnok foot the bill for the blunders committed. However, as can be seen, information obtained by our newspaper suggests that the local council wishes to shift the consequences of the project’s lack of preparation onto the construction consortium.

TSZSZ, which decides everything

Our newspaper contacted the local council of Szolnok, which responded to our enquiry by stating that „The quality of the work and the shortcomings identified so far are closely linked to the local council’s financial performance, or rather its partial failure to meet its financial obligations, and the quality of the work carried out.”

However, we understand that the contractor consortium requested a review from the TSZSZ (Certification Body), which issued the document certifying completion of the contractual work in 2026.

According to our newspaper’s information, the members of the consortium have, on the one hand, filed a claim against the City of Szolnok at the Szolnok District Court for payment of the fees for the work carried out and certified by TSZSZ, and, on the other hand, initiated separate proceedings regarding the costs arising from additional work and delays. The lack of funds is presumably the most significant reason behind all the objections raised by the Szolnok local authority, and the city will sooner or later have to find a solution to this, if necessary in accordance with the court’s decision.