Pedestrians to take over Budapest’s Liberty Bridge again in the summer

One of the capital’s most beautiful bridges will become a pedestrian zone for the third time this summer, szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu reports. When the bridge was first closed down for car traffic three years ago, nobody suspected it would make Liberty Bridge the most popular and atmospheric “pop-up hang-out spots” of Budapest – now it seems like city officials realised its potential for a more livable and breathable city. 

Alexandra Szalay-Bobrovnicky, deputy mayor, announced on Wednesday that the Liberty Bridge is to become a car-free zone for four weekends this summer, between 14 July and 5 August. Speaking at a press conference about summer events on the Danube, the mayor mentioned the grassroots organising that started the so-called Szabihíd project (Szabihíd being a diminutive of Szabadság híd, meaning Liberty bridge) back in 2016, when the bridge was closed due to the reconstruction of Buda tram lines for a whole month.

It was amazing to see how quickly the abandoned bridge became the most popular hang-out spot of locals, who, having tired of the stuffy city center around Deák tér and the seventh district, were drawn to the new location, that offered soothing, chilly wind, beautiful sunsets and late summer night conversations with a can of beer or a bottle of wine.