H. Bathó Edit – Kertész Róbert – Tolnay Gábor – Vadász István szerk.: Tisicum - A Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok Megyei Múzeumok Évkönyve 11. (1999)

The History of the Thermal Spring and Open-air Pool in Berek

MIKLÓS NAGY MOLNÁR THE HISTORY OF THE THERMAL SPRING AND OPEN-AIR POOL IN BEREK In the 1920's the leadership of Karcag asked Ferenc Pávai Vájna geologist to sink a well close to Karcag, which is similar to that of Hajdúszoboszló. In 1926 Ferenc Pávai Vájna found the Üllőlapos region near the station of Tatárülés to be appropriate for the first drillings. In 1926 the Representative body of Karcag raised a big loan, and in 1927 the works began on the area selected by the geologist. The seeking drill was successful in the end of January, 1928, and as a result, gassy hot water welled up to the surface. In February and March the water was chemically analysed by the Medical and Chemical Institute of the Hungárián Royal Tisza István University in Debrecen. According to the result of the research the water contained iodine, bromine and irón in large amount, therefore it was declared medicinái waters. In the twenties and the thirties the progenitor of the present open-air pools began to develop thanks to the "heal-powered hot water". In 1929 the first "basket" pool was built next to the cassa, waiting and dressing rooms. Teacher István Kádár dealt with the transportation of the guests between Karcag and Berek by a discarded bus. In the beginning only the neighbouring residents visited the waters, but later people came from all points of the country. By the middle of the 1930's the good-quality gas coming with the water was not used up. In 1935 the Metanogén Company intended to raise a Calor gas building, but it was banned by the Ministry. After this unsuccessful contract with the Metanogén Company, in 1938 Zoltán Veress applied for building glassworks based on the gas found near Karcag. He got the permission and built a factory where production started in 1940. By the 2nd World War the presently independent Berekfürdő became the outskirts of Karcag where next to the holiday chalets the residents' houses could alsó be found. The village had no public institutions at that time, just a hotel and the Román Catholic church existed. By the end of the war the Protestant church was not entirely ready, its bell rang first in 1948. The increasing number of visitors challenged the open-air pools in the fifties and the sixties. Need for improvements turnéd up to satisfy the demands. In the 1960's the area was landscaped, pavements were constructed and the number of cabins was increased year by year. In the end of the eighties and the beginning of the nineties significant social and economic change took place in Berekfürdő as well as in the whole country. At this time the population number of the village reached 1100. By 1992 Berekfürdő became independent. Today the village's life is basically depends on the open-air pools and the water, which is officially declared medicinái waters. 302