Csepely-Knorr Luca: Barren Places to Public Spaces. A History of Publick Park Design in Budapest 1867-1914 (Budapest, 2016)
Public Park design in Budapest during the second half of the 19th Century
The main public parks designed in the dualist period Népliget Park “It is one of the largest and most beautiful public gardens in Europe. Among its botanically interesting trees there are many which cannot be found elsewhere."328 The idea of creating and laying out a new public park, Népliget Park (literally Peoples Woodland), was the subject of intense media attention both in the professional journals and in the newspapers. It was one of the largest investments in green spaces in the period discussed, therefore the various stages of its creation were surrounded by great publicity.329 The development and extension plans for the park, and the descriptions documenting the construction process, show that the designers involved in the creation of Népliget Park were well aware of the latest international trends in design theory, and that their ideas were based on the demands of society. The initial plan was a pioneering proposal that was intended to be created not only specifically for the residents of the nearby Tisztviselőtelep, but also for the ‘lower classes of society’, that is for members of the working class and the lower middle classes. Elsewhere in Europe, the Bois de Vincennes (1866) was the first public park with the same goal. As such, Népliget Park was the first under the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, and, unlike the Parisian example, it was not built on a former Royal hunting ground. The grounds of the new park were given to the city of Pest in 1244 by the reigning king, Bela IV as parts of the Kéwer (the present-day Kőbánya) district. In 1703 the letters patent of Lipót I verified the ownership of the city. On the maps dated from 1863, the area was mentioned as ‘Städtische Acker Gründe’, meaning plough-lands of the city.330 The soil in the area was sandy, so it was worthless from an agricultural point of view, therefore it wasn’t sold for property development. In 1855 Robinia trees were planted to stabilise the shifting sand, but the majority of these trees died because of the unfavourable location. After the Compromise in 1867, the whole area saw the construction of many factories, for which the sandy soil of the future Népliget Park was mined.331 Todays Népliget Park was built in two phases, according to the plans of Keresztély Ilsemann, on the site of the abandoned mines. The first phase was created as far as Vajda Péter Street, and the second stage was finished ten years later. As an antecedent to Népliget Park, the ‘Pest-Kőbánya Woodland Public Company’ has to be mentioned. It was established in 1847, and wanted to create a public park similar to Városliget Park. The company planted trees on a 42 acres site, given by the municipality. In the same year as its establishment, the company commissioned Frigyes Feszi to design a restaurant with an outdoor area with a terrace. Above the main area, the building also had a lookout tower.332 There is no information about the realisation of the building, and the company did not prove to be successful either; however, the project can definitely be seen as the precedent for Népliget Park. Another antecedent is the Committee for Suburbs and Plantations, which was established by the Council of Pest in November 1866. This happened due to the ideas of a landowner, József Sárkány de Illencfalva, who stressed the importance of planting trees on the unbuilt areas of the outskirts of the city. His efforts are remembered even today on a plaque in the park. The Committee decided to create a public park between Üllői and Kőbányai Roads in its session in January 1868, and commissioned Armin Pecz Sr. to design the park.333 Frigyes Feszi, Design for a restaurant in the Kőbánya Park, 1847 / Budapest Flistory Museum Print Collection Previous page: Ármin Pecz Sr, Design for Népliget Park, 1868 / HU BFL XV. 16.b.226/99 109
