The next prestigious project will be tackled in 2025 during the redesign of the capital’s City Park: the construction of the new National Gallery.
This year, the renewal of the green spaces in the huge city park continued. Around the site of the fixed hot air balloon, around 1,500 shrubs and perennials and hundreds of flowers were planted on an area of more than 3,000 square metres, new paths were laid out and street furniture was installed. The CEO of Városliget Zrt., which is responsible for the Liget project, announced another milestone for 2025. As Benedek Gyorgyevics announced at a press conference, the construction of the new National Gallery will begin, as the final chord, so to speak, of the cultural buildings envisaged in the complex redesign of the city park.
More green for some, too little for others
Despite the monumental buildings, among which the new Ethnographic Museum and the House of Hungarian Music stand out, the proportion of green spaces in the park is said to have increased further to 65% since the start of the project in 2017. A total of more than 270,000 m2 of green space has been renovated over the course of the project.
While Fidesz celebrates the renewal of the city park as a success, critics see ‘monster buildings made of concrete’. Sándor Bardóczi also doubts the significance of the renovated green areas, as these 27 hectares must be seen in relation to the total area of the ‘Városliget’, which is 81 hectares. The chief landscape architect of Budapest rejects even more concrete in the park, especially as the designs show a completely oversized national gallery.
Attractive tethered balloon
The tethered balloon operated by BallonFly Zrt. is also attracting more and more tourists to the city park. This attraction has been in operation for more than two years now, although it is actually a great return, as a similar captive balloon already thrilled the people of Budapest more than 120 years ago. BallonFly has already made around 11,000 ‘trips’ with the modern version of the balloon, accumulating 4,000 flight hours in the process.
