Faurest, Kristin: Ten spaces - Our Budapest (Budapest, 2010)
Fő tér
Fő tér The iconic sculpture of a group of four waiting ladies holding umbrellas against the downpour that has stood for more than two decades on Laktanya utca, just steps from Fő tér, is one of the more memorable pieces of public art in the city. On a recent visit a woman walked by and pointed at one of Imre Varga's figures. "That one turned out the best of the four, don’t you think? And do you know what, everybody says that if it’s raining, it’s because they made it happen by standing there in the rain. And if the sun comes out, they brought it on because they brought their umbrellas.” The umbrella people stand as an example of one of those essentials that make a great public space - some whimsical, unique bit that everyone always remembers. Something that even fosters a local superstition. The world's best public squares have that unique element that people remember. It doesn't necessarily have to be something extraordinary like the Bernini fountain at the Piazza Navona in Rome. It can be more modest and quirky in scale, like for example, the "Make Way for Ducklings" sculptures — a reference to a legendarily popular children's book — in the Public ■ "Ih only children had as much public space as cars, most cities in the world would become marvelous." - Cnrique Penalosa. former mayor oh Bogota. Colombia 15
