Swedish ambassador to Hungary Karin Olofsdotter has described the new eco-friendly Lánchíd (Chain Bridge) Park as a “green oasis for pedestrians amid the hustle and bustle of the Buda traffic”.
It is Hungary’s first public park to be accredited by the Green City Council. An environmentally friendly refurbishment has been carried out in the framework of the Green Sweden/SymbioCity prog-ramme and supported by Budapest City Council, the Swedish Embassy, the Swedish commercial office in Hungary and Swedish companies with offices in the country. Non-profit organisations and Masters students in landscape architecture from Corvinus University Budapest were also involved.
Congratulations all around
Swedish ambassador to Hungary Karin Olofsdotter and Mayor István Tarlós.
At the opening and handover of the park late last month, Mayor István Tarlós and Olofsdotter praised the project as a prime example of cooperation on several levels. The ambassador said the park demonstrates a joint effort both between the private and public sectors and between the two countries. The fruits of the joint work were recognised by the Green City Council, whose president, Tamás Zsolt Somorjai, handed over a certificate to this effect.
Like the establishment of Hungary’s first eco-playground on Margaret Sziget (Island) in autumn 2011, Lánchid Park is based on the principle of sustainability, with natural ecological processes. The ground is permeable to water, enabling the water cycle to be maintained.
Olofsdotter said she hopes such cooperation will continue. Tongue in cheek, she suggested concrete-covered Hõsök tere (Heroes’ Square) as a possible next site for refurbishment. She said the new eco-park in the heart of the capital is intended to raise people’s environmental awareness. It had been designed to satisfy the needs of both a modern city and the environment, thereby creating “a symbiosis between the city and nature”.
Tarlós said Lánchid Park’s makeover was not just a question of environmental friendliness but also of economics. It had been possible to integrate almost all the old park equipment and materials into the new vision.
The park is near Clark Ádám tér (square) in District I and is bordered by Lánchíd utca and the Danube promenade.
Spacious steps lead to it from both directions, and can be used as seating. Plenty of wooden benches stand in the shade of large sycamores. In addition to its ecological credentials there is a panoramic view of the Pest side.
