The Kristály (Chrystal) in Tata is Hungary’s oldest hotel in operation.

The original building, Szarka (Magpie) Inn, only had a ground floor, on top of which the storey was raised between 1766 and 1769 on the designs of Jakab Fellner. During the revolution and war of independence of 1848-9, on 2nd and 3rd May 1849, the inn served as the commanding officer’s headquarters.

In the second half of the 19th century the building housed an inn and a café. It acquired its present eclectic (mixed) style form in 1891, when it was reconstructed. In 1912 the National Workers’ Party of Tata and Tóváros held its reorganization rally in the hotel’s great hall. In the 1930s the troupes visiting Tata-Tóváros staged dramas and operettas in it several times a year. In 1945 its name was changed to Szabadság (Freedom) Hotel.

The atmospheric building, still being renovated and reconstructed nowadays, welcomes guests again as The Kristály Hotel. Its past is commemorated by a plaque on the wall.