Városliget (German: Stadtwäldchen; literally City Park) is a public park (302 acres or 1.2 km²; a rectangle 0.9-mile (1.4 km) by 0.6-mile (0.97 km), or 1.4 km × 900 m) in Budapest, Hungary close to the city centre. It is located in District XIV of Budapest. Its main entrance is Heroes' Square (Hősök tere), one of Hungary's World Heritage sites.
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Városliget (German: Stadtwäldchen; literally City Park) is a
public park (302 acres or 1.2
km²; a rectangle 0.9-mile (1.4 km) by 0.6-mile (0.97 km),
or 1.4 km × 900 m) in Budapest, Hungary close to
the city centre. It is located in District XIV of Budapest. Its
main entrance is Heroes' Square (Hősök tere), one of
Hungary's World Heritage sites.
Name
The area was formerly called Ökör-dűlő, meaning
"Oxmeadow". The first mention of the name comes from 1241 in the
archaic form, Ukurföld. In the 18th century the area was called
Ochsenried in German. Around 1800 the official name was
changed to Batthyány-erdő (Batthyány Forest) after its
tenants, the Batthyány family. The first trees and planified
walkways were established in 1751 and after the public park was
created in the first decades of the 19th century the present-day
name, Városliget (and its German version, Stadtwäldchen) was
accepted and it became the first public park in the world.
History
City Park was the main venue of the 1896 millennium
celebrations of Hungary, by which time Andrássy Avenue, Millennium
Underground and the Grand Boulevard were built.
Sports
City Park has the world's largest artficial ice surface and it's
the centre of Hungarian bandy. The B-group at
the Bandy World Championship 2004 was held here[1]
and also the Bandy World Championship for women 2007[2].
Used to host motorsport events in the 1950s. In 1985 despite the
serious plans the city government decided against to host Hungarian
Grand Prix races in the park.
Landmarks
Heroes' Square is noted for the following:
- The Millennium Monument (Millenniumi Emlékmű), one of
Budapest's emblematic sights (1905)
- The Museum
of Fine Arts (Szépművészeti Múzeum, 1906)
- The Palace of Art (Műcsarnok, 1895)
City Park proper includes the following notable sights:
- The Vajdahunyad
Castle, presenting the major art styles and housing the
Agricultural Museum today (first built in 1896, in its present
state finished in 1907)
- The Széchenyi Medicinal Baths and Swimming Pool (Széchenyi
fürdő), one of Europe's largest bath complexes (1913)
- The Municipal
Zoological and Botanical Garden (Fővárosi Állat- és
Növénykert, founded in 1866, built in its present state in
1912, expanded and improved since several times)
- The Budapest Circus (Fővárosi Nagycirkusz, 1971)
- The Budapest Amusement Park (Vidám Park) with a separate
amusement park for small children
- Its roller coaster, Hullámvasút, built in 1922 after the
plans of Ervin Dragon, is 17 m in height and travels 980 m
in five minutes. It is one of the ten remaining side friction
roller coasters in the world, and is an ACE Coaster Classic.
- Its merry-go-round was built in 1906 and its cave railway in
1912. Along with the roller coaster these are considered to be
historic monuments.
- The Gundel Restaurant, one of Hungary's most famous, founded in
1879 (residing in its present building since 1894)
- The Millennium Salon (Millennium Szalon) in Olof Palme
House (1885)
- The Transport
Museum of Budapest (Közlekedési Múzeum 1899)
- The Aviation Museum of Budapest
-
City Park Pond
(Városligeti-tó), used as an ice rink in winter, the largest
outdoor skating-rink in Central Europe (1926), with a hall built in
1894. It hosted the Bandy World Championship for women 2007 and the
B-group at the Bandy World Championship 2004 for men.
- The Petőfi Hall (Petőfi Csarnok), a youth leisure centre
(1985)
- The Time Wheel (Időkerék, 2004)
- The Monument of the 1956 Revolution, completed in 2006 for the
50th anniversary of the historic event
- A spacious procession square (used for several purposes)
- Sports grounds, playgrounds, meadows, esplanades (e.g. one
named after Olof Palme), several statues (among others, of George
Washington and Winston Churchill), a memorial for Anna Lindh, a
botanical garden and a transport park for children
See also
- People's Park (Népliget)
- Margaret Island (Margitsziget)
References
External
links