Faurest, Kristin: Ten spaces - Our Budapest (Budapest, 2010)

Ferenc tér

■ Little o/j the square's original atmosphere remains. Béla Sialmds's i960 depiction provides a glimpse into the past

From 1879 Nagy Fő út was divided by Ferenc tér into Tompa and Balázs Béla utca. Balázs Béla utca got its name in the 1950s, for the writer and filmmaker whose "The Wooden prince" and "Bluebeard’s Castle” were turned into ballet and opera, respectively, by Béla Bartók. Ferenc tér i was the home of conductor Dezső Bor, 1888—1974, founder of the city's first workers' orchestra and the Capital City Orchestra.

The square has been redone in the last few years, with funds primarily from the European union and also from the district municipality — and the result is nothing short of a transformation. The atmosphere is youthful and exuberant, the design coherent and consistent. It now has a well-conceived circulation system with attractive paving stones, a small but well-kept playground, and pavilions with brightly-coloured columns and glass roofs that serve as the square's distinctive mark. There is a very pleasant café, and two marvellous blue-and-white mosaic-tiled serpentine fountains with water spouts on top, appealing to several senses at once. It’s carefully insulated from traffic by bollards, making it comfortable to reach from surrounding streets.

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