City Park (Budapest)

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Vajdahunyad Castle in Városliget
Vajdahunyad Castle in Városliget
Church from Ják inside of the Vajdahunyad Castle
Church from Ják inside of the Vajdahunyad Castle
Nagycirkusz
Nagycirkusz
Műjégpálya Ice Rink with Vajdahunyad Castle in the background
Műjégpálya Ice Rink with Vajdahunyad Castle in the background

Városliget (German: Stadtwäldchen; literally City Park) is a public park (302 acres or 1.2 km²; a rectangle 0.9 mile by 0.6 mile, 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.

  1. Gundel Restaurant
  2. – Municipal Zoological and Botanical Garden
  3. – Municipal Grand Circus
  4. – Budapest Amusement Park
  5. Széchenyi Medicinal Baths and Swimming Pool
  6. Vajdahunyad Castle
  7. – Petőfi Hall
  8. Transport Museum of Budapest
  9. Heroes' Square
  10. Museum of Fine Arts
  11. Palace of Art


Contents

[edit] 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.[1] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Landmarks

Heroes' Square is noted for the following:

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
  • 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
  • The Petőfi Hall (Petőfi Csarnok), a youth leisure centre (1985)
  • The Time Wheel (Időkerék, 2004)
  • 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

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Honismeret
  2. ^ ACE Coaster Classic Awards
  3. ^ Last of the Side Frictions
  4. ^ Hullámvasút

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 47°30′50″N, 19°05′05″E