budapest city park (városliget)
The City Park (Városliget in Hungarian) is packed with things to do and places to see. The park was the main venue of the millennium celebrations in 1896.
Behind Heroes' Square lies the ice-skating rink which is a lake in the summer with boats for rent. Since 1996, the ice-skating rink gives home to speed-skating championships.
Along Állatkerti körút (Zoo Boulevard), to the left from Heroes' Square, the first building is the Gundel Restaurant, built in 1894 (until 1910, it was called Wampetics Restaurant). Gundel Károly has taken over in 1910, and turned it into the best place for fine dining in Budapest.
Next to the Gundel is the ornate Art Nouveau entrance to the Budapest Zoo, which opened in 1866.
Walking past the Zoo walls, the domes and towers of the Széchenyi Thermal Bath come into view; the bathhouse is one of the largest bath complexes in Europe. The thermal spring underneath it was discovered in 1879.
Across from the bath is the Municipal Circus, where the first performance was held in 1891 - since then, 125 shows were held, with 15500 performances and over 25 million viewers.
Next to the Circus is the Amusement Park, which in today's form has been operational since the 1950's.
The Vajdahunyad Castle, originally built of cardboard and wood for the 1896 World Expo, was rebuilt from stone at the end of the expo. It is a copy of three other buildings from the Hungarian countryside, showcasing Hungary's predominant architectural styles.
budapest city park (városliget) Key Sections
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Amusement Park 1146 Állatkerti körút 14 District 14. Budapest Show me on map »
Right across from Széchenyi Thermal Bath is the Amusement Park, whose history dates back to the beginning of the 1800-s. The original park was called Vurstli. At the beginning of the 1900-s, the so-called English Park was built directly adjacent to it, and today’s Amusement Park was born from the merger of the two. |
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Andrássy Avenue Budapest Show me on map »
The avenue, named after former Prime Minister of Hungary Gyula Andrássy, is two and a half kilometres long and has three distinct parts. Its downtown section, a 1-kilometre part streching from Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Avenue all the way to the eight-sided Oktogon square, is lined with rows tall residential apartment houses and expensive shops in the housefronts. |
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Bagolyvár Restaurant 1146 Állatkerti körút 2 District 14. Budapest Show me on map » |
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Gundel Restaurant 1146 Állatkerti körút 2 District 14. Budapest Show me on map »
The restaurant, built in 1894 (until 1910, it was called Wampetics Restaurant). Gundel Károly has taken over in 1910, and turned it into the best place for fine dining in Budapest. The restaurant was the official caterer to the Hungarian Pavilion of the New York World Expo in 1937, helping spread the word about the wonderful Hungarian cuisine. In 1949 it was nationalised and therefore its quality has deteriorated. |
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Heroes’ Square District 14. Budapest Show me on map »
Heroes' Square, where Andrássy Avenue meets Dózsa György út, is the biggest and most impressive square of Budapest. In the middle stands the Millennium Monument, with Archangel Gabriel on top, holding the double cross of Christianity and the Holy Hungarian Crown. |
