Ellipsum

Even in the 19th century, many visitors came to Miskolctapolca, as the water found there was believed to have healing properties. At that time, however, the lake, which was also suitable for bathing, was still owned by the church. It was only in the early 20th century that the city purchased it. By the 1930s, the area had become increasingly popular, with new accommodations opening one after another.

"Incredible resilience resides in this little bath. Twenty years ago, aside from the people of Miskolc, not even fifty people knew it existed, yet today it has grown into one of the country's most visited baths at the end of a previously described miserable road. The fact is that the 300-some villas of Tapolca, with their thousand-plus rooms, are filled to capacity every season by guests, no matter if the room is in the most unpleasant location, the most uncomfortably furnished, or the most outrageously priced of its time."

– as reported in the Miskolci Reggeli Hírlap on February 11, 1940.

In December 1932, Reggeli Hírlap published an article by Géza Hegyaljai Kiss about the white snake of Tapolca.

"Long ago, this water was very effective against illnesses. My parents went there too, they visited the spring at the bath, and there the white snake swam... The elders used to say, 'The water was at its most beneficial while the white snake lived in it. But the machines drove it away.'" – reads the article.

The author then embarked on further research and consulted the region's most prominent natural scientist, József Buday, a retired natural history teacher from the Reformed Gymnasium of Miskolc, to ask whether a white snake could exist in Miskolctapolca. Buday responded:

"The white snake is unknown to science; its existence is highly improbable. Keen-eyed scientists would have noticed it by now if it existed. Its existence is unlikely also because white coloration contrasts with the environment, which would be an unnatural phenomenon and would likely lead to the animal's extinction. I believe the white snake was born from the imagination of the people, not from reality."

In the early 20th century, the snake's legend symbolized the healing powers of the water – but today, one would search for it in vain in Miskolctapolca.