In 1967, an extraordinary playground was built on the side of Budapest’s Gellért Hill, where the planners made the most of the park’s steep site by including several long slides that have been a favorite of local kids for generations. Inevitably, the passing decades took a toll on the playground’s conditions – but following a recent two-month refurbishment by the city’s FŐKERT park-maintenance department, kids can again have good times gliding at this 50-year-old facility for fun frolicking boosted by the power of Gellért Hill’s gravity.
Approaching the slide park requires a bit of a hike on the side of Gellért Hill, but finding it isn’t a difficult task, thanks to the excited screams of the children who already arrived and the rustic wooden sign guiding the way, reading “csúszdák”, meaning “slides”.
In addition to the playground itself, the surrounding area also received a facelift: the hillside is now covered with secure rubber coating, the public toilet was renovated, the tourist signs were repainted, and the lawn seems much better maintained, as well.
Still, the emphasis lies on the playground equipment – especially on the slides. Children can glide on five long slides here, in a variety of designs ranging from a traditional straight plane through a twisting chute to tube slides, the latter of which will surely become a crowd favorite among the target audience.
In case the slides aren’t enough to tire out the kids, there are more attractions to guarantee a peaceful night’s sleep, such as the jungle gym with the rope bridge, the seesaw, the climbing fort, or the tunnel through a mound. Once children start to lose their energy, they can refresh themselves at the drinking fountain.
Almost all toys are most suitable for children aged between 3 and 12 – except for the trampoline, which can be used by older youngsters or lightweight adults, as well.
