Budapest already has streets named after the Cosmos and Mercury – now it has a Milky Way, by the Star housing estate on Csepel island. Csillagtelep is one of many communal blocks in this post-war Socialist paradise, built when cosmonauts were first going up in space. Since then, it’s been every child’s dream to fly in a rocket – something they can try out at this newly unveiled playground.
The playground has been set up in a previously neglected park just beyond the Csepel terminus of the HÉV train. The stellar connection is perhaps no coincidence, as alongside is Tejút utca, ‘Milky Way Street’, named around the time of Yuri Gagarin’s first space flight in 1961.
Today, children can discover the stars by scaling a playground planetarium, whizz down an astronaut slide, sit in a centrifugal rotating device and bounce on trampoline craters.
As for the grown-ups, there’s a 300-metre running track, seven outdoor gym machines and a street workout feature. USB inputs, lighting and WiFi have all been installed, the smart pole also showing the strength of UV radiation.
More prosaic needs have not been forgotten, either, with automatic, step-free toilets and a nappy change.
In the northern part of the square, a 15x28-metre multifunctional, fenced-in sports court has a rubber surface, with football goals and basketball hoops. A pair of ping-pong tables sit between the street workout and sports court.
A rest area with benches is also in place, with a biodiverse spread of evergreen plants and shrubs.
Keep your distance!
Please don’t forget that although restrictions have been relaxed, you should still follow the mandatory precautions when visiting the park and keep your social distance!
