City Park, Budapest

In the 18th century, the City Park was a deserted area of marshes and pastures. At the end of the century, János Boráros, the city magistrate, began to transform the "forest", which had become a popular place for hikers, into an amusement park and entertainment area.

Shortly afterwards, it was taken over by Prince Primate József Batthyány, who set his sights on the planned afforestation and development of the forest.

Sebestyén Rumbach, a doctor, bought the area for the purpose of growing grapes, but when he dug a well, he was surprised to find a source of iron and immediately had Pest's first spa built. The site of this bath is now the Szechenyi Baths.

But bathers were not the only visitors to the Liget at that time, as the area was rented by the showman Lipót Grossinger. It practically became a place for fun, laughter and games.

In the reform era, it was called the City Forest and soon became a popular place of entertainment. There was also a shooting range, a sledge and a dance hall.

In fact, it has been a place for bathing and entertainment ever since: a circus, a zoo, an amusement park, a lake, and in winter a skating rink and playgrounds.

The construction of the zoo and the Great Lake began in 1865 and was not completed until 1912.

By 1885, the Liget already had riding stables, a circus, Vurstli, Stefánia út, a lake and a zoo. Its popularity was also helped by its accessibility, which was aided by the newly created means of transport: the horse-drawn railway, the omnibus and the tram.

The area initially catered for the more affluent classes, but later the lower classes also found entertainment in the form of VURSTLI (a simpler amusement park).

The main attractions are the restaurants and museums:

- Gundel Restaurant

- Gundundel Restaurant

- Robinson Restaurant

- Széchényi Restaurant

- Vajdahunyad Castle

- Boating lake (spring-summer)

- Skating rink (winter)

- Zoo

- Budapest Circus

- Agricultural Museum

- Museum of Fine Arts

- Art Gallery

- Bouncy castle and playground

- Széchényi Spa

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