Csepely-Knorr Luca: Barren Places to Public Spaces. A History of Publick Park Design in Budapest 1867-1914 (Budapest, 2016)
Public Parks and Public Park design in the Second Half of the 19th Century
Photoltíhogr. von J.Löroy, Wien. Vertay von Ad. Lelanann , Wien. The Volksgarten, Vienna / August Czullik, Wiener Gärten im Jahre 1890, Vienna, 1890 / Kew Gardens Library follow: The Tiergarten in Berlin, designed by his master Peter Joseph Lenné, the Bois de Boulogne in Paris and Central Park in New York. The first two were mentioned as examples for public parks transformed from previous Royal woodlands. The American example is very important in this case, as English theory influenced Meyer (and the theory of the German-speaking countries) through Olmsted’s work, in an indirect way. With planting, Meyer emphasised the importance of native plants, but he did not rule out the use of exotic plants either. However, he recommended the use of these to be restricted to special spaces, such as botanical gardens. He endorsed the use of monuments in public parks, rather than on ornamental squares or promenades in the cities. Like Hirschfeld, he suggested erecting monuments to people who had helped the development of the city or the country, but also to key figures from the world of science. He found it important that the parks give opportunities for active recreation as well, and so he proposed the creation of various sports grounds for ball games, and lakes for boating and ice skating in winter. Nevertheless he warned designers to avoid turning the whole park into a sports ground. He also recommended the creation of small kiosks for the sale of refreshments, and spaces devoted to music. With regard to the arrangement of paths, Meyer accepted both the strict, formal and informal lines. Although he found that to create contrast to the formal arrangement of cities, informal layouts were better. He was an advocate of the separated path system for pedestrians and carriages.137 Meyer also emphasised the creation of small centres and highpoints where the paths meet, which could also be meeting points in parks. He proposed the creation of seating areas and small buildings at these points, that fitted stylistically with the park. He suggested formal arrangement around these areas. In terms of functions for his people’s gardens, Meyer combined the main moral and aesthetic principles of German theory with the more practical approach of designers from Britain and the USA. Another novelty was his idea about planting. In this matter he exceeded both Loudon’s botanical education concept and Lenné’s planting theory in his Magdeburg designs based on the collection of various and exotic plants. Meyer recommended the use of native plants. The idea first appeared in Olmsted’s arboretum in Central Park which specialised in American plants, and in the planting of the Buttes Chaumont Park in Paris.138 That is another reason why Meyer’s publication was crucial: he merged various concepts from the field of public park design, and summarised all the achievements and most important goals. Closer to the core topic of this book, both in terms of geography and in terms of time, was the creation of public parks in Vienna, the other capital of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. The building of the Ringstrasse and its parks (Stadtpark, Rathauspark, Volksgarten, 42
