The Liget Budapest project continues with park reconstruction works, MTI reports. Ten years ago, the Parliament adopted the City Park Act, which placed the park under the state's management, and since then, Városliget Zrt. has implemented a series of comprehensive developments here, recalled the ministerial commissioner of the project at Thursday's press conference of the Liget Budapest project in Budapest.

László Baán emphasised: in the rehabilitated parts of the Liget, a park offering more and better than the previous conditions welcomes visitors, five million of whom have visited the new and renovated institutions and park parts of the City Park in recent years.

The Museum of Ethnography opened its doors last year (Photo: Városliget Zrt.)

As he reminded us, as a result of the project, among other things, the City Park Playground, the sports centre and the 2-kilometre running circuit, the youth sports fields, and the dog adventure parks were handed over. The monumental building of the Millennium House was renovated, the Museum Garage was completed, the Liget Promenade took place on the site of the former Felvonulási Square, and the House of Music Hungary and the Museum of Ethnography also opened their doors. László Baán said that during the investment, they will only build on the site of demolished buildings and parking lots, preserving the unique character of City Park, which combines cultural programs with green space recreation.

In addition to the cultural and recreational parts, park reconstruction is, therefore, an essential element: during the development of the City Park, more than 250,000 square metres of green space have been renewed, 72,000 square metres of paved surfaces have been demolished, more than 500 leafy trees and 130 pines, nearly 70,000 shrubs and more than 200 thousand perennials were planted, he said.

Benedek Gyorgyevics, CEO of Városliget Zrt., said that during the renovation of the KRESZ park and the rehabilitation of its surroundings, approximately 25,000 square metres of green space will be renewed, 39 deciduous trees, more than 5,600 shrubs and more than 20,000 perennials will be planted. The appearance of the KRESZ park will also evoke a part of the city that models traffic situations, where new, modern and safe play elements will await children.

The KRESZ park is being renovated (Photo: Városliget Zrt.)

In addition to the central playground, additional independent elements and playground equipment will be placed in connection with the traffic track, but during the renovation, the pavements, traffic lights and green surfaces will also be renewed, and comfort will be provided by drinking fountains and new street furniture. According to the CEO, they are rehabilitating the surroundings of the popular balloon viewing area, the park section bounded by the Kós Károly Promenade, Hermina Road and Konrad Adenauer Road, with nearly 1,500 shrubs and half a thousand perennials planted.

On the section of the Dvorák Promenade between Dózsa György Road and Olof Palme Promenade, the sidewalks, pavements and curbs will be renewed, and the step height of the trolleybus stops will also be reduced. Benedek Gyorgyevics emphasised that Városliget Zrt. was tasked not only with the implementation of the investments, but also with the operation of the park, so the developments will remain in the same condition as at the moment of handover for a long time.

House of Music Hungary (Photo: Városliget Zrt.)

László Baán also addressed the future of the Liget Budapest project, pointing out that the construction of the largest and most important development, the New National Gallery designed by the Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architecture firm SANAA, is still to come. According to him, the government is committed to the full implementation of the project, however, the implementation of new, larger-scale developments depends on the country's economic situation, so the construction of the New National Gallery, planned to replace the demolished Petőfi Hall, can probably begin in 2024-25. If this art museum representing outstanding contemporary architectural quality is realised, a complex cultural district will be created, which will have no equal in the whole of Europe, he noted.

Additional green areas will also be renewed in the City Park, 1,500 shrubs and half a thousand perennials will be planted according to the plans (Photo: Városliget Zrt.)

In response to MTI's question, he said that they are still planning to reduce traffic in City Park, but Városliget Zrt. cannot make a decision on this. "The closure of the Kós Károly Promenade could be done tomorrow, this is exclusively the responsibility of the capital," he noted.

The construction of the House of Hungarian Innovation and the Városliget Theatre is still part of the project, as is the further continuation of the park reconstruction and the renovation of the boating lake and its surroundings, said László Baán.

Source: MTI

Cover photo: The renewal of City Park continues (Photo: Városliget Zrt.)