The long rectangle of space lining the side of City Park along Dózsa György út was once the scene of mass parades held in the Communist days. It was then used as a car park for decades, but recently it has been cordoned off around all the construction work taking place. Bookending this southern edge of City Park will be the new Ethnographic Museum at one end and the City Park Theatre at the other. In between, and just below, the Underground Car Park Gallery has just opened.
Where citizens once marched for the Communist-era May Day parade, a cultural hub is being created alongside City Park, with the underground car park for the new Ethnographic Museum providing precious parking bays for visitors – and gallery space for some of Hungary's most renowned modern artists.
At street level, the City Park Promenade has relandscaped the former car park once located above ground. More than 100 deciduous trees have been planted, along with 4,000 shrubs and some 40,000 bulbs and perennials. The promenade stretches between what will be the new Ethnographic Museum and the City Park Theatre, due to stand on the corner of Ajtósi Dürer sor. With this still a work in progress, it’s currently only possible to access the new underground gallery from the museum side nearest Heroes' Square.
The
three-storey underground garage is designed to alleviate parking woes around City Park,
providing 800 new spaces. But along with practicality, the designers
have also included a display of works by 12 prominent Hungarian artists, including László Moholy-Nagy, Ilona Keserü, Dóra Maurer, Imre
Bak and Victor Vasarely.
Cyclists have also been kept in mind: enclosed bicycle
storage and changing rooms with showers are built into the car park, accessed
by a separate driveway at the top level of the garage.
Because of the pandemic, parking is currently free between 7pm-7am to anyone. Once the situation changes, only residents of the VI, VII and XIV districts will be allowed to park overnight, from 5pm-9am. 200 spaces will be available for this purpose, with a one-time registration fee of 2,000HUF.
