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
Margit Park with the hospital of the Brother Hospitallers, postcard from before 1907 / HU BFL XIV.243.a The so-called Margit Park was created in connection with the building of the new bridgehead on the Buda side. It occupied the area between the southern side of the newly-created bridge and the so-called Császár Bath, and it was first mentioned in contemporary sources in 1895.220 Although the municipal council wanted to create a park in the area, the Board of Public Works recommended building on the empty plots, according to the news in 1898.221 In the same year the municipality bought the area from the Board of Public Works, and the construction of the park could begin.222 In 1898 the press reported on the final plans and expenses as well.223 The park was named Margit Park in 1899 according to the recommendation of the citizens of Buda.224 The final plans of the park are not known, but it is possible to approximately reconstruct the layout. One source is the draft version of the 1908 cadastral map of Budapest, dated 1907, which clearly shows the layout of the paths; the others are two contemporary photos of the park. The park consisted of an area both north and south of the bridgeheads. The garden on the southern side was smaller, divided by paths in an informal layout. The centre of the site was marked by a circular space, and another circular component - most probably a carpet bed - emphasised the southwestern entrance of the park. The northern side of park was more complex in its spatial arrangement, and most probably also in functional terms. The style is related to designs by Gustav Meyer and the German historicism: the informal arrangement of the paths and the geometrical details appeared together. The northern entrance of the park was marked by a broad tree-lined avenue, which led into a larger - most probably -Margit Park on a 1907 survey map of Budapest / HU BFL XV.16.e.2Sl/130 64
