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
Everyone says: in the new Városliget Park the trees must still be small, not giving any shade, there are no gracious places to rest, and it is not worth travelling there to see some shrubs. Nothing can replace the old Városliget Park, it is gone, and the residents of Budapest, thanks to the municipality, cannot breathe fresh air anymore. Everyone is under the influence of this idea, and we are afraid of getting on the horse tram, taking us towards the new Népliget Park through the shady Robinias of Tisztviselőtelep. Tisztviselőtelep is known by everyone. The nice clear streets of the district call forth many people on Sundays to an area which grows every day, and is starting to grow into a small town. The new Népliget Park is behind the Tisztviselőtelep. It looks as it was an addition to the area. It is divided from it by a wide road, and we need to get over a few hills (which will disappear in time) and we are there. We believe that everyone was completely disappointed after seeing the new woodland. There are no signs of scrubby trees, only mature trees along the paths, the wide paths are well-kept, and among the fascinating flower beds small white benches invite visitors to have a rest. The first thought: oh well the new park is almost more beautiful and neat than the old Városliget Park."3*0 In the first phase, Ilsemann created a park in line with the design trends of the period. Although the generous system of paths, with the strong axes and geometrical elements, shows a new forward thinking composition, different to the traditional English landscape style, from a theoretical point of view the first phase of Népliget Park showed hardly any novelties. In terms of its form the park can be placed parallel to the parks of Berlin designed by Gustav Meyer: the Treptower Park, the Humboldthain, and the second phase of the Friedrichshain. The combination of formal and informal elements shows the effect of Meyers layouts.341 However, the plan shows similarities to the first phase of the Türkenschanzpark as well, designed by the Head Gardener of Vienna, Gustav Sennholz. While designing this part of the park, Ilsemann was driven by traditional ideas that perceived the park mainly as a place for walking, and displaying interesting plant collections. Besides this Népliget Park had space for a restaurant and a sideshow, which played a major role in organising the spatial arrangement of the park. Visitors arriving from Sunday feast in Népliget Park, engraving by Benedek Bálint after a drawing by László Kimnach / Az Osztrák-Magyar Monarchia írásban és képben. Magyarország III. Budapest, 1893. p. 137. / ADT Ferris wheel in Népliget Park, photograph by János Milliner, 1900 MESZL Budapest Collection Benyovszky Móric Street could immediately reach the main axis of Népliget Park. Following this axis, visitors first arrived at the so-called ‘ornamental grounds’. Continuing, the track led to the restaurant, and after that to the sideshow area. The latter was built on a former landfill site. The ornamental ground - which was referred to as modern in its style - was decorated with trimmed hedges, boxwoods and a special collection of lilacs.342 Following on the main axis, visitors arrived at the ‘Great Restaurant’, which was built in 1895 in a romantic style. It was originally called ‘The Great Beer Hall of Budapest’. It was the biggest restaurant in Budapest at the time, and could accommodate 400 people on two floors. The building also had a club for officers on the first floor, and it soon became a symbol of the park.343 The first designs for the building were created by the Municipal Engineering Department in 1894.344 The plans were rejected by the Financial and Economic Committee, which recommended the reduction in costs. It was possible to build the building in the Engineering Department’s second plan for half the price.345 According to Mária Kemény’s research, the first building was probably a more representative, neo-renaissance building, while the second version was closer to the style of the so-called Swiss chalets, which were popular buildings in landscape gardens. This form was popular for villas and summer houses at the end of 19th century, and in the capital it was also used for the terminus of tram 58 in the Zugliget area of the Buda hills. The brick building was decorated with a porch and wooden towers. The main entrance was facing Tisztviselőtelep, and to enter the building, the visitor had to go through an outdoor area 112
