Radó Dezső: Parks and Forests - Our Budapest (Budapest, 1992)
hillside facing Elizabeth Bridge is one of the most characteristic sights of Budapest. A peculiarity of the vegetation on Gellért Hill is the sharp difference between the northern and southern slopes. The microclimate of the steep slope facing north resembles the climate of Finland whereas that of the southern slope is more akin to the climate of Morocco. The microclimate is largely controlled by the angle of incidence of the sun. On the southern slope there are wig trees, flowering ashes and even fig trees, which were introduced by the Turks. The northern slope is dominated by plane, poplar, hornbeam, linden, black pine and Scots fir. In 1964 further development resulted in two new dashes of colour, the rose garden by the Citadel and the honeycomb-like flowerbeds below. The tabán The Tabán district is a neighbour of Gellért Hill with a romantic past. Here used to be the group of tiny houses so much beloved and sung about by Gyula Krúdy. The enchanting but quite unhealthy district was demolished in 1932. Today this gently sloping area between Gellért Hill and Buda Castle is like a green jewel. Tabán is for the young 22
