Liget Budapest

Liget Budapest – Museum of Fine Arts’ underground car park inaugurated – Photos

liget bp parking lot

The underground car park for the area around the Museum of Fine Arts and the promenade above it were inaugurated on Sunday as part of the Liget Budapest investment.

Gergely Gulyás, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, said the former parade ground was a place of historical significance, and the square would come into its own with traffic now diverted underground.

He noted that more than 1,000 cars pass by the museum each day. The new car park housing 800 bays has points for charging electric vehicles and bicycle storage.

In the meantime, 12,000sqm of green space has been created, he added.

 

László Baán, the ministerial commissioner in charge of the Liget project, noted the car park will be open to the public from Monday, and it will be free of charge from 7pm to 7am during the coronavirus epidemic. Later on, local residents will receive a discount, he added.

Liget Budapest sports complex
Read alsoLiget Budapest’s new sports complex opens its doors this week! – VIDEO

Final decision has been made on the renovation of Budapest Chain Bridge!

Hungary Budapest tourism success visit

Besides other infrastructural developments in the Hungarian capital, the Budapest Council of Public Developments discussed the future plans regarding the renovation of Chain Bridge. Within the framework of the meeting attended by Minister Gergely Gulyás and Mayor Gergely Karácsony, financing issues were also discussed.

Chain Bridge

chain bridge lánchíd front

Undoubtedly, one of the most critical issues was the renovation of the Chain Bridge.

Concerning this question, it has been clarified in what way the government would give the promised EUR 16.4 million (~HUF 6 billion) for the renovation of Budapest’s iconic bridge.

This can be realised if the capital agrees that the bridge will not be closed for more than 18 months and the money will be transferred when only that amount is missing. Presumably, this can be expected in 2022 at the earliest.

Construction of new tram line
Bme_tram_line
Photo: www.facebook.com/vitezydavid/

Within the framework of the meeting, it has been discussed that the government will finance the new tram line along the quay section of Budapest University of Technology and Economics. Such public transport developments are essential due to the construction of BudaPart district next to the Kopaszi Dam, as well as the future Mol-campus, which will also be located there, providing places of residence and workplace for tens of thousands of people.

Quays
Pest quay
Photo: www.facebook.com/vitezydavid/

Regarding the renovation of the Pest quays, the parties agreed that car traffic should be provided in the future as well; however, pedestrian and bicycle traffic will also be extended, providing more convenient access to the Danube.

Metro line 2 and local railway in Gödöllő
local_railway
Photo: www.facebook.com/vitezydavid/

As the Hungarian news portal Portfolio reports, the capital has handed over to the government the complete plans for the renovation of the local railway in Gödöllő and its connection to metro line 2, so the government will carry out these tasks.

Liget Budapest Project
Liget Project, Budapest, Hungary
Photo: facebook.com/miligetunk

As far as the Liget Budapest Project is concerned, the government and the capital still do not agree with the construction of the New National Gallery, the Hungarian Innovation House and the Városliget Theater.

Bicycle lane on the Grand Boulevard
bike_line_budapest
Photo: www.facebook.com/vitezydavid/

The parties also disagreed on this issue, the government still does not support the creation of a bicycle lane due to the emerging problems of car traffic, nor does it support the use of a bicycle lane on certain sections of the sidewalk.

Liget Budapest – City assembly approves amendment to construction rules

budapest assembly

Budapest’s metropolitan assembly on Wednesday approved an amendment to building regulations in connection with the revamp of the capital’s City Park.

The amendment was approved with 18 votes in favour, 10 against and one abstention.

The proposal notes that the amendment nixes construction of the New National Gallery, the Hungarian House of Innovation and the City Park Theatre along with certain catering and commercial establishments with the aim of turning the areas on which they would have been built into green spaces.

It also adds regulations pertaining to the use of renewable energy and amends existing ones with the aim of protecting the park’s plant life.

In a debate before the amendment was passed, Fidesz councillor Zsolt Láng called its approval “unlawful”, arguing that it went against a government decree fixing the project’s building regulations issued on Tuesday which says the capital will not have the authority to amend building rules set out in the decree. Read more HERE: Liget Budapest – Hungarian government decree fixes City Park construction rules

Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony said

the city’s leadership had offered to compromise on the project with the government by allowing completion of construction projects that were already under way in the area.

house of hungarian music budapest
Read alsoHouse of Hungarian Music is winner of prestigious Music Cities Awards

Liget Budapest – Hungarian government decree fixes City Park construction rules

Budapest green spaces coronavirus

A new government decree fixes the current building regulations in connection with the revamp of Budapest’s City Park.

According to the decree published on Tuesday evening in the latest issue of Magyar Közlöny, the official state gazette, the capital will not have the authority to amend building rules set out in the decree.

These stipulate, for example, the dimensions of buildings to be built in the park and the amount of green area attached to each site.

László Baán, the ministerial commissioner in charge of the Liget Budapest project, told MTI that the government decree does not entail any changes in terms of how the Liget Project investment proceeds, and maintains the current regulations in all respects.

Budapest’s city administration, he insisted, had been intent on bypassing dialogue with the project’s leaders, but thanks to Tuesday’s decree, opportunities for dialogue remained.

He noted

the Budapest leadership started the ball rolling to change current City Park building regulations six months ago.

Baán insisted the issue of the park’s revamp was a national matter as well as a local one. He accused the city’s leaders of bypassing the Metropolitan Public Development Council and had submitted its planned amendments to the Metropolitan General Assembly directly.

He said the city’s leaders had ignored the views of 2,000 civilian participants, more than 90 percent of whom argued in favour of maintaining the current regulations.

Baán said the project’s leadership was committed to putting the construction of the three new sites that the capital’s leadership objected to on hold until an agreement is reached with it. The sites are the New National Gallery, the Hungarian House of Innovation and the Városliget Theatre.

But, he added, given the “outstanding importance” of the planned developments “that serve the interests of Budapest and the nation”, the sides should work towards the conclusion of an agreement based on professional arguments and facts, he said.

The commissioner said

the metropolitan leadership’s emergency amendment would have nixed construction of the New National Gallery, the Hungarian House of Innovation and the City Park Theatre.

Baán insisted that the proportion of green areas in the City Park would grow from 60 percent to 65 percent under the Liget Project plans, adding that buildings had always been in place at the sites in question, so, he added, the city leadership’s claim that its amendment was about protecting green spaces was spurious.

Baán said the Liget Project’s developments handed over so far had proved popular, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors to the renovated areas of the park, the new playground, the Millennium House, Rose Garden, City Park Sports Centre and fields and the dog park.

He said opinion polls indicated that 70 percent of Budapest’s residents and 80 percent nationally wanted the Liget project to be fully implemented.

Gergely Karácsony, the mayor of Budapest, said in response that

the central government had “re-opened the fight” over the issue of City Park with the decree.

He said that as a mayoral candidate in last autumn’s municipal election, he had vowed to protect the park’s green areas and ban any further construction there.

“The majority of Budapest residents voted for this programme which we will carry out,” Karácsony said on Facebook. The mayor said that “for a short while” Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had appeared to accept the voters’ choice, saying that “what the City Assembly does not want will not happen”.

The decree published on Tuesday night invalidates the prime minister’s promise, Karácsony said, adding that the decree contravened Hungarian law declaring public parks off-limits to construction sites.

He pledged to submit a proposal that corresponded to his original programme “and respects the will of Budapest voters” to the municipal assembly later today.

city park budapest liget
Read alsoWOW! Car traffic to be banned in City Park and Heroes’ Square!

House of Hungarian Music is winner of prestigious Music Cities Awards

house of hungarian music budapest

The ongoing investment in Budapest’s City Park was awarded not only for its environmentally friendly design, but also for the opportunities the investment will provide to improve the Hungarian music scene through exhibitions, concerts, and education, reports Nullahategy.

Music Cities is a series of events established by the most important international figures of the music industry to promote economic, social, environmental and cultural development in cities and places all around the world. At this year’s award ceremony, which took place on 23rd September, candidates were awarded in nine categories.

Great news for the Hungarian communities is that this year’s gold medal in the category “Best Use Of Music In Property Development/Real Estate” was received by the House of Hungarian Music, an ongoing investment project at Városliget (City Park) in Budapest. According to Benedek Gyorgyevics, CEO of investment company Városliget Zrt.,

the project received acknowledgement for the environmentally friendly design by Japanese architect Fujimoto Sou and his Hungarian partner M-Teampannon, and for the action scheme developed by professor András Batta’s expert group.

house of hungarian music budapest
Benedek Gyorgyevics at a press conference at the House of Hungarian Music on 24th September.
Photo: MTI/Balogh Zoltán

Besides the aspects concerning real estate development, the jury also looked at how the candidate projects could contribute, through music, to community life in urban areas. In the case of House of Hungarian Music,

aesthetic experience received just as much acknowledgment as the prospects for future exhibitions, concerts, and education.

According to Gyorgyevics, construction of the House of Hungarian Music is at an advanced stage, where “the most spectacular phases are near to being completed”. The building will feature many exciting elements, such as a façade made of 13-metre tall glass elements, and a roof structure of extraordinary shape.

The construction of the House of Hungarian Music is part of Liget Budapest, a grand urban development project that has already won several other awards in previous years, including that of the International Property Awards; earlier this year, for example, the renovated Museum of Fine Arts received the Europa Nostra Award. The inauguration of the House of Hungarian Music is planned for the end of 2021.

Liget Budapest’s new sports complex opens its doors this week! – VIDEO

Liget Budapest sports complex

This Thursday, the recently completed sports centre of Budapest’s most iconic public park will open its doors to the public. The new sports complex has become realised within the framework of Liget Budapest Project, comprising an artificial grass football pitch, a basketball arena, three multifunctional sports fields, a fitness park, a terrain park with a climbing wall, a pumptrack court, along with thirteen chess tables, four table tennis and two teqball tables.

Since its birth, Budapest City Park has been inspiring and welcoming sports lovers; it plays a significant role in terms of recreation for those living in the surrounding districts. Therefore, the Liget Budapest Project has a particular focus on the promotion of physical activity and outdoor sports.
The freshly completed family-, child- and sports-friendly development expects visitors from 3rd September, in Budapest City Park.
The 36,000-square-meter sports complex is easily accessible, providing numerous sports opportunities in a beautiful green environment.
The new sports centre comprises two bookable, illuminated sports fields:
  • City Park Mini Arena is one of the most modern illuminated handball courts in Budapest, with the special feature of being equipped with covered benches, a stand and a digital scoreboard. 
  • For basketball players, the new Basketball Mini Arena will probably become the most preferred part of the sports complex, with a standard-sized basketball court covered in rubber and a 4.2-foot-high safety net.
  • Furthermore, three smaller, free-to-use multifunctional sports fields have been set up in the area, where you can play football, basketball, volleyball, badminton and foot tennis.
The rentable sports fields can be booked on the website of the Liget Budapest Project, at a reasonable price. 
The newly completed sports complex includes a multi-element fitness park as well, with special equipment provided for both amateur and professional street workout competitors to perform exercises of appropriate difficulty.
Additionally, we can also try the Hungarian invention – teqball – which is becoming more and more popular all over the world.
As the Hungarian news portal Origo reports, during the establishment of the sports centre, there was a particular emphasis on designing all new facilities, sports equipment and services in the spirit of equal access so that they can be used safely by people with disabilities as well.
https://www.facebook.com/miligetunk/videos/351195152676713/
This autumn, the second phase of City Park development will continue, providing more family-, child- and sports-friendly facilities for the visitors.
 
Related articles:

Video: www.facebook.com/miligetunk/

Budapest district mayor demands halt to further building in City Park

Liget Budapest - A SANAA tervei szerint épül az Új Nemzeti Ga

Csaba Horváth, the mayor of Budapest’ Zugló district, on Wednesday demanded that the central government stop any further construction projects in City Park (Városliget) and dismantle metal barriers erected two years ago around the sites in question.

Horváth, group leader of the opposition Socialists in the City Assembly, told a press conference that the government must respect the will of more than 80 percent of Budapest residents, as well as keeping its own promise not to go against decisions of the metropolitan council.

“We’ve acknowledged the presence of the already completed buildings and swallowed the fact,”

Horváth said, adding however that he saw no reason to maintain the barriers once landscaping work was finished, unless they served “someone’s purpose to still consider the park a construction site”.

Horvath said that

planned new buildings such as the National Gallery, the House of Innovation and the Városliget Theatre “cannot be ever built” in the park.

“The residents of Budapest deserve to have 200-year-old City Park, the capital’s oldest, maintained as a public park and not sold as a building site,” he said.

Liget Budapest - A SANAA tervei szerint épül az Új Nemzeti Ga
Read alsoBudapest district mayor demands halt to further building in City Park

WOW! Car traffic to be banned in City Park and Heroes’ Square!

city park budapest liget

According to a freshly published government decree, car traffic will be banned in Budapest’s City Park and part of Heroes’ Square; the promenade will only be used by pedestrians and cyclists. 

As Hungarian news portal 24 reports, the decision has been made by the Budapest Development Centre based on the agreement of the city management and the government.

Accordingly, car traffic will be banned at Kós Károly Promenade passing through Budapest’s City Park and will be entirely dedicated to pedestrians and cyclists.

Based on the government decree, the following transport policy objectives and measures have been set:

  • The City Park will be completely car-free; Kós Károly Promenade and the Zoo Boulevard will be closed from car traffic. Traffic restrictions do not affect trolleybuses. 
  • The city’s iconic historic square, Heroes’ Square, along with the Art Gallery and the Museum of Fine Art, will be completely car-free.

city park budapest hungary liget

  • Surface parking will be prohibited in City Park (except for a short section of the Zoo Boulevard); parking will become available in the new underground garage on Dózsa György Road, built within the framework of the Liget Budapest project.

Read also: Commissioner lobbies for Liget Budapest project

  • For car traffic coming from the M3 motorway, a new P+R parking lot will be built, providing 1,500 available parking places at the junction of the M3 motorway entrance. Its planning will begin later this summer.
  • A new road and tram overpass will be designed, connecting Districts 13 and 14 that can help the traffic coming from the M3 motorway to avoid the City Park, which is closed to cars.

The Budapest Development Centre will perform the preparation and planning tasks in cooperation with the Centre of Budapest Transport based on the government decision.

Read alsoVast majority of Hungarians support revamping city park

Budapest assembly bans construction in City Park!

Liget City Park Budapest Construction of House of Hungarian Music to start soon

The municipal assembly of Budapest on Wednesday banned any further construction within the Liget Project, which involves plans to build a complex of museums in the City Park.

The ban, proposed by Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony, is aimed at “preventing irreversible changes to the city’s largest public park” so that “it can continue in its function as a public park”.

Csaba Horváth, group leader of the Socialists in the assembly, said that

“a number of questions” concerning the Liget Project have not been answered.

He insisted it was not clear “what exactly should be built and where”. Once those issues are settled, the Socialists will propose lifting the ban, he added.

Márta V. Naszályi of Párbeszéd and mayor of the first district said that the project had “so far considered the park as a construction site” and “nobody had been asked” about the building activities that have taken place so far.

The ban will serve protection of the park’s green areas, she added.

Karácsony said the city and the government had conflicting positions on the Liget Project and suggested that he saw no way for a consensus.

On November 5 last year, the city assembly denied support for all components of the Liget Project which were not yet under construction at that time, including a new National Gallery. It decided that the City Park should be renewed in a way that it retains its primary function as a public park.

Liget Budapest project commissioner asks mayor to withdraw proposed construction ban

László Baán, the commissioner in charge of the project to transform Budapest’s City Park (Liget) into a cultural venue, has asked Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony to withdraw a proposed ban on the construction of buildings in the area that have not yet received a construction permit.

In an open letter addressed to the mayor, Baán said that as the law stands, the ban would end up curtailing green developments such as the refurbishment and expansion of park areas.

“Not a single tree or bush would be planted and not a single square metre of green space could be refurbished” under the ban, Baán wrote.

Read alsoLiget Budapest project commissioner asks mayor to withdraw proposed construction ban

The commissioner criticised the metropolitan council leadership for failing to discuss the impact of the proposal with the asset manager designated in the law on City Park or with Városliget, the state-owned company in charge of the project.

He said it was “rather absurd” that “after declaring absolute priority for green developments” the Budapest leadership, “right in the middle of a climate emergency”, had submitted a proposal that would result in a ban on mainly green developments.

Liget Budapest - A SANAA tervei szerint épül az Új Nemzeti Ga
Read alsoLiget Budapest – VIDEO about the New National Gallery!!!

Baán asked Karácsony to withdraw the proposal and provide an opportunity for “proper talks” on the Liget project.

Liget Budapest – VIDEO about the New National Gallery!!!

Liget Budapest - A SANAA tervei szerint épül az Új Nemzeti Ga

Until this time, the New National Gallery and its natural surroundings could be seen only in static visual images and descriptions; however, now we can see much more thanks to the freshly introduced video published by Liget Budapest.

As the Hungarian news portal magyarepitok.hu reports, the project can be considered as one of the most important development projects of the international award-winning Liget Budapest plan, designed at the place of the former Petőfi Hall. The visual design plan shows the history of the building and its future plans.

Based on a public opinion poll carried out by Inspira Research Group – the project is supported by 80% of the residents.

Accordingly, 80% of Hungary’s population supports the full implementation of the Budapest Liget Project.

The data were recorded based on personal interviews. According to the majority of respondents, implementation of the project’s overall program is essential, as it would significantly improve the reputation of Hungary. Meanwhile, 80% of the respondents support the construction of the New National Gallery, the Hungarian Innovation House and the City Park Theater.

Read alsoUNESCO: Budapest’s MOL Tower and Liget Project are distressing
Museum of Ethnography, new, building
Read alsoBudapest’s museums quarter on track, says Liget Budapest project company

The project is extremely popular in the Hungarian capital as well.

In 2016, two-third of Budapest residents; while in 2018, 70% of them supported the complex renewal of City Park that is carried out within the framework of the Budapest Liget Project.

Video: www.youtube.com/LigetBudapest/

Vast majority of Hungarians support revamping city park

Fully 80 percent of Hungarians support the project to transform Budapest’s City Park (Liget) into a cultural venue once they had insight into the concrete plans, according to a survey by the Inspira Research Group published on Friday.

The survey conducted in the form of interviews with a representative sample of 1,000 adults showed that the overwhelming majority of Hungarians support carrying out the Liget Project in its entirety.

Museum of Ethnography, new, building
Read alsoBudapest’s museums quarter on track, says Liget Budapest project company

Respondents in favour of the project said it would boost Hungary’s reputation, while its abandonment would be a loss not just to Budapest but to the country as a whole.

Altogether 80 percent of respondents supported the construction of the new National Gallery, the House of Innovation and the City Park Theatre in the area, the survey showed.

Read alsoUNESCO: Budapest’s MOL Tower and Liget Project are distressing

Museum of Ethnography restores thousands of photographs about Hungarian folk culture

Hungary, folk, culture, tradition

The Museum of Ethnography in Budapest, Kossuth Square, has been closed since 2017, as the building is moving to City Park inside the brand-new building which is part of the Liget Budapest project. Until the move, experts of the museum keep on collecting the exhibits and also digitalising beautiful pictures about Hungarian folk culture. 

Museum of Ethnography, Budapest, Hungary
Read alsoVirtual tour in the new building of the Museum of Ethnography, Budapest – VIDEO

Index reported that digitalising is every Hungarian museum’s essential task as many of them hide secret and valuable cultural treasures many do not know about. Most of these collections are not available online, and only scientists know about their existence. Many examples prove that it would be crucial to make these treasures accessible for everyone interested in the country. 

The photo archive of the Museum of Ethnography is the essential guide for Hungarian folk culture and traditions. The good news is that scientists not only managed to save some pictures but also made them available on the Internet. 

Hungary, village, harvest, folk, culture
Photo: www.facebook.com/neprajzimuzeum

Workers of the Tripont Cultural Heritage Solution restored approximately 35,000 pictures out of 350,000. These copies taken around the 1950s are the most dangerous ones as their material is highly flammable and bacteria can easily destroy them. This process can be slowed down with several methods but cannot be stopped. 

folk dance
Read alsoTraditional Hungarian folk dance types – VIDEOS

The project continued with restoring 75,000 pictures taken between 1890 and 1940. Most of these pictures were taken about the Hungarian villages of the Carpathian Basin in 1896 during the era of the Millenium. These pictures and the ones mentioned above will be exhibited in the new building. 

The museum also purchased another 25,000 photographs from photography studios about Hungarian folk culture back in the 19th and 20th centuries. Moreover, another 6,000 drawings from the 1880s and 1890s are also being restored by scientists. 

Hungary, children, village, folk, culture
Photo: www.facebook.com/neprajzimuzeum
Hungary, village, folk culture, lady, animal
Photo: www.facebook.com/neprajzimuzeum

Nevertheless, the museum reported that it would continue to stick to an old tradition, which means that these photographs will not be available for downloading, and the websites, archives, and museums of Hungarian villages and towns will not receive any of the restored pictures. 

Robert Capa, photographer, Hungary
Read alsoThe story of the most famous Hungarian photojournalist – Photo Gallery

Virtual tour in the new building of the Museum of Ethnography, Budapest – VIDEO

Museum of Ethnography, Budapest, Hungary

The new and impressive building of the Museum of Ethnography is being built as a part of the Liget Budapest Project undertaken in the City Park. In a recently published video, you can take an exciting virtual tour inside the new building.

Read alsoUNESCO: Budapest’s MOL Tower and Liget Project are distressing

According to Turizmus, the video focuses on treats and representing the new building and structure of the museum for visitors. The visual content even shows the 3D scans of the exhibited objects and features impressive drone shots as well. As the earliest ethnography institute in Europe – opened in 1872 –, the museum moves first to a location which will completely serve its purpose to become the most famous museum on the continent.

The 3,000-square-meter exhibition room of the building will offer an extraordinary and unforgettable experience for visitors every day.

Not only permanent but temporary exhibitions will also be organised in spacious rooms. The old building used to have three times less space to exhibit unique objects. The building will also offer an event room for different kinds of meetings and events along with a cinema where movies dealing with the history of ethnography will be displayed.

For children, the institute will offer workshops, games, and other educational classes to learn more about the museum and its exhibits.

Museum of Ethnography
Read alsoMuseum of Ethnography on the move in Budapest – VIDEO

Featured image: www.facebook.com/miligetunk

Two-thirds of Budapest residents support revamping city park

Városliget

More than two-thirds of Budapest residents support the Liget Budapest project once they had had insight into the concrete plans, according to a representative survey conducted by the Inspira Research Group.

In the survey published on Wednesday, 1,000 respondents were asked to view the reconstruction plans of Budapest’s city park and then to evaluate the building plans and the project itself.

In knowledge of the actual plans, 70 percent of respondents said they backed the project, with support even higher among young people, those raising children and those living near City Park, Inspira said.

The House of Hungarian Innovation and the New National Gallery had the support of 81 and 72 percent of respondents, respectively, and 72 percent said the new buildings would be an improvement on the park’s current condition.

László Baán, the commissioner in charge of the project, said the survey had shown that “an overwhelming majority of Budapest residents agrees with the project and supports it when asked about its true content and goals.”

Városliget
Read alsoTwo-thirds of Budapest residents support revamping city park

The project would rehabilitate green areas which have been neglected for decades, Baán said, alongside breaking up paved surfaces to raise green areas from 60 percent of the park to 65 percent.

Reconstruction of hundred-year-old buildings within the park and the construction of new ones is also part of the plan, he said.

The Budapest city leadership has indicated that it opposes granting construction licences to certain projects within the overall investment that not yet received the go-ahead.

Budapest green spaces coronavirus
Read alsoHungary’s first smart city to be created in the City Park

Budapest – House of Hungarian Music awarded as the Best International Public Building!

House of Hungarian Music

Budapest’s imposing music palace has been chosen as the Best International Public Building within the framework of International Property Awards.

As Magyar Építők reports, the prestigious industry awards were held in London, this Monday. The decision was made by a jury consisting of 80 international professionals who decided based on project design, quality, innovation, individuality and commitment to sustainability.

The award of the Best International Public Building was given to Benedek Dr Gyorgyevics, CEO of City Park Plc., who is responsible for the implementation of the Liget Budapest Project.

Sou Fujimoto’s building is likely to become a new iconic building of Budapest. According to Gyorgyevics, “after last year’s recognition of the Ethnographic Museum, this award also means that two buildings have been built in the City Park that are considered to be among the best in the world: as Hungarians, we should be proud of this”.

The CEO revealed that the construction of the House of Hungarian Music is going well; presumably, the building structure will be finished next year, and by 2021 its doors will be opened to the public.

Featured image: www.facebook.com/magyarzenehaza/

Budapest assembly votes to support anti-corruption programme

Budapest assembly

Budapest’s new municipal assembly on Tuesday unanimously supported the implementation of an anti-graft programme aimed at increasing transparency of the city’s operations.

In his proposal, Mayor Gergely Karácsony noted that in the election campaign he had pledged to implement a “minimum programme” worked out by anti-corruption organisations Átlátszó, K-Monitor and Transparency International Hungary.

Karácsony also noted that

the city had already published “more information than required by law” but added that “the municipality should proceed along that path, further increasing the range of information released to the public”.

At its first session, the assembly also suspended preparations to erect a Saint Stephen statue in the park named after Hungary’s first king. The assembly decided to reconsider the planned location in the south of the oblong park, and find another site for the contested monument if necessary.

The assembly announced a climate emergency in Budapest, and said that the Healthy Budapest programme should be developed further.

“Climate change is already affecting our everyday lives significantly. If we fail to take measures, … we will be remiss in our duty towards further generations,” Karácsony said.

The assembly has commissioned the mayor to review where the authority’s institutions stand regarding carbon neutrality and the transition to green energy. The mayor will also review the city’s action plans for extreme weather conditions and develop a climate change adaptation and mitigation plan, the assembly said.

The assembly declared a ban on changes to the northern embankment of the Danube where the previous leadership had planned a levy, seen as controversial due to its alleged environmental impact.

In another development, the assembly banned implementation of the overtime work law at municipal companies. In his proposal, Karácsony said that the law would seriously impact employees who could be made to work a “drastically increased” number of overtime hours.

The assembly passed a decision not to support major construction projects which have been planned but not started yet, such as the new National Gallery, in the City Park.

According to the decision, the planned building sites should be parkland. The assembly authorised the mayor to negotiate with the government concerning its new measures and requested that Karácsony should prepare a proposal aimed at ensuring protection to the City Park as a historic garden.

New Budapest Mayor Karácsony accepts Orbán’s invitation to cabinet meeting

Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony has accepted an invitation by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to attend Wednesday’s cabinet meeting.

Karácsony posted on Facebook that he has accepted the invitation and regards the meeting as the first step in working together.

“We must work together on hundreds of issues,” he wrote, adding that this would involve both disputes and agreements on developments in Budapest.

Orbán invited Karácsony to this week’s cabinet meeting to discuss development projects planned for the capital, the PM’s press chief said on Monday.

Responding to a letter Karácsony had sent the prime minister last month requesting a personal meeting, Orbán again congratulated the new mayor on his election victory.

“As far as I am aware, the inaugural session of the Municipal Assembly is scheduled for November 5,” Orbán wrote in a letter to Karácsony.

“I am convinced that the matter of developments in Budapest also require immediate decisions, therefore I ask that you accept my invitation to the meeting of Hungary’s government scheduled for November 6 so that we can get acquainted with your position on investment projects in the capital and decide on the future of the development projects that have been approved by the government.”

The prime minister added that the meeting’s agenda was not limited to development projects and that the government was ready to hear Karácsony’s views on other important matters concerning the capital.