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

of every visitor. Nevertheless, the lack of exotic plans and carpet beds on the squares shows that the theoretical writings of Ilsemann - which emphasised that carpet beds should not appear everywhere - became an accepted way of designing small public parks, and were only used for bigger and more important parks. Tire layout of Rákóczi Square can be reconstructed from a survey plan dated August 1919, by Károly Rade. The arrangement with a main central lawn area, planted with shrubs and solitary plants shows the gradually simplifying style of the period.

There is no known plan dated before World War I for Hunyadi Square, however on the draft version of the 1908 cadastral map of Budapest, the layout of the square can be analysed. The plan was designed in an axial symmetrical manner, and had a geometrical style. From the four corners straight paths led to the main, bigger space: the layout of that was created out of arcs and straight lines. Most probably the layout of the square was similar to Rákóczi Square especially, because Räde’s plan showed a structurally almost identical, but much less complicated design. The layout is characterised by the clear path system, and simple geometric forms. In terms of its planting, it most probably consisted of areas of lawn and shrubbery.

The turning of Mátyás and Almássy Squares into ‘children’s playarea’ was linked to the greening of the former market squares as well. The creation of a public green space at Mátyás Square first emerged in 1888,251 but the final decision about the two squares was published in 1892.252

Survey plan of Almássy Square / Károly Rüde, Budapest Székesfőváros kertészetéhez tartozó parksétány és kertek tervei, Budapest, 1929.80./ BFL Library

Almássy Square, photograph by György Klösz, 1890s / HU BFL XV.19.d.l 7/42

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