Anastasia Chukovskaya
The 14th district park can be easily reached from the pompous Square of Heroes. Previously, there was a swamp here used for hunting. Later on, King Leopold I gave this territory to Pest. In the middle of the 18th century, the swamp was drained and trees planted. At the end of the 19th century, a park in English style was already under design.
Today, you may feed ducks here, visit an elephant and camels in the city's zoo, skate in winter, sail in a boat in summer, go to trade fairs where farmers' products and works by Hungarian craftsmen and women are displayed. People usually come here not just for a stroll, but to visit the city's main bath Széchenyi fürdő. A picturesque castle standing above a small pond is not the legacy of a great Magyar family or a summer residence of Emperor Ferenc József. It is just a big 'tent' that was installed here on the 1000th anniversary of Hungary. Budapest citizens so much liked this temporary structure built in all architectural styles of the country that it was decided to fix it in stone. A large flea market is organized here every weekend from 7am to 2pm.
City's authorities have their own plans for Városliget. They develop the idea to turn it into a museum quarter similar to Berlin and New York and to move here the National Gallery, Ethnography Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art Ludwig, House of Music, Museum of Architecture and House of Photography. Project advocates debate fiercely with their opponents. Some fear that after building a museum quarter in the park, the government will not find money to maintain it due to economical crisis. Others think that tourists will stop visiting Buda to see the National Gallery, which will lead to ecological disaster. There are also people who believe that the project will attract one more million tourists to Budapest annually.
