A settlement with only a few decades of history decided to collect oral histories of its inhabitants. Situated halfway between Szolnok and Debrecen, Berekfürdõ's history started only in the 1920s when geologists were searching for natural gas - and found thermal water instead.

This project started with an eventual photographing of the people by an enthusiast. An ethnographer from the neighbourhood suggested to add family histories to the pictures. Then a Budapest-based journalist, Ágnes Keresztes, formerly active in the region, jumped in and started taking notes of people's stories.

Berekfürdõ has about 400 households. Ms. Keresztes already has 300 life stories collected. The manuscript will be sent to the Hungarian National Museum. People in Berekfürdõ - secretly - hope that a book might come out about their lives, too.