Csepely-Knorr Luca: Barren Places to Public Spaces. A History of Publick Park Design in Budapest 1867-1914 (Budapest, 2016)
The Beginnings - The Urban Development of Pest-Buda and their Public Green Spaces Prior to the unification
View from the ramparts of Buda Castle towards the Buda Hills, lithograph by Franz Xaver Sandmann, after a drawing by Rudolf Alt 1845 / MESZL Budapest Collection die typical elements of the late baroque style in garden design: was divided by main and lateral axes and hedges. However, a few irregular elements can be seen as well, which shows the appearance of a new era in terms of style: the English landscape garden.12 The park was opened to the public in 1787, and it became a favourite promenade by the end of the 18 th century. During the next century amusement fairs and pleasure grounds were shaping the appearance of the park. In 1831 a new plan was published by József Baczó, Keresztély llsemann, Avenue planting plan for Palota Street and Lovas Street below the Promenade on the Castle Ramparts, 1895 / HUBFL XV.17.d.lS14.a 1/6.2 an engineer form Buda. He aimed to physically link Városmajor Park with the green spaces of the district Krisztinaváros,13 creating a green corridor for the city.14 The plan was not realised, however, it remained a recurring idea throughout the history of the comprehensive city renewal plans for Buda. The Horváth Garden also played crucial role among the open spaces in the city of Buda. The garden was created after the closure of certain disused fortification areas. The plot was bought by Count Kristóf Niczky, who created his ornamental gardens most probably between 1784 and 1787.15 He sold the gardens to Zsigmond Szentgyörgyi Horváth and György Gludovácz, who had been renting them, and then a pleasure garden was created for the public. In the 1830s various orchestras and bands amused the visitors besides the shows of tightrope walkers. In 1842 a summer theatre was created and a restaurant offering music to the guests.16 The garden with its various amusements became popular, however it was only declared a public garden in 1862, when the city of Buda bought the plot. Another important freely-accessible green space was the so-called Bástya (Ramparts) Promenade, built at the turn of the 19th century. The development was made possible after the strategic use of the fortifications of the Buda castle were discontinued.1 ' Franz Schams, in his 1822 description of Buda, mentioned the promenade with double avenues and praised its scenery, but he also described the Royal Gardens of the castle hill as green spaces created according to a comprehensive plan.18 The planting plans for the Promenade during the period of the turn of the 20th century were designed by Hans Christian 10
