The downtown-Pest district of Erzsébetváros is the most densely populated area of not only Budapest, but the whole country as well, which is why it is great news that the public open spaces here are being renovated nowadays. Chessboard tables, a colourful playground, and splashing fountains: this is how we can describe the new Almássy Square. It deserves the attention for more than its beauty – this place is actively designed to be a vital hub of local life.
In addition to the recently finished
Madách Square, Almássy Square received a long-overdue refurbishment as well. However, being somewhat further away from the city centre, Almássy Square received less attention, even though the district’s residents were involved in the decision-making process here, too. With this, Erzsébetváros is proving to be a considerate district when regarding its future development, even when such initiatives are introduced by the powers-that-be.
A professional firm, Platinum Group Kft., was requested to develop four different design variants. The district’s residents preferred the option that highlighted organic, rounded, soft forms.
The square can be divided into three main sections: a playground, a dog run, and a walkwaysection that also functions as a community site. The latter’s curved forms are essentially the continuation of Almássy Street all the way to Wesselényi Street. The typography of the title “ALMÁSSY” on the info boards near the entrance is done outstandingly well, as it had been designed specifically for these renovations.
One important elements of the public spaces are the chessboard-topped concrete tables, hiding under the trees’ shadows. The first gaming tables like this appeared here in the 1960s, and made Almássy one of the popular “chess squares” of the capital, where young and old gather almost daily to learn and earn the right to take on master players.
The playground is quite big and child-friendly, with all kinds of playground equipment and fancy color schemes. However, they could have built a fence gate here: as we recall from our own childhoods, we particularly enjoyed playing the game “let’s run, grandma can’t catch us anyway”.
Closer to Almássy Square stands a sculpture of the politician Antal Csengery, known for promoting public schools, and in front of it, a few fountains and seats are installed; on the other side of the square, we can find bicycle-storage spaces.
Overall, it is great news that one of Budapest’s biggest squares was renovated. We could have imagined better alternatives regarding materialusage, but luckily, they have not designed this space for urban planners or reporters. The children, parents, and neighborhood citizens seem satisfied with the new square, and that is all we need to know.
