Budapest’s City Park (Városliget) has won the 2026 European Large Urban Parks Award. The award, presented by the international professional organization World Urban Parks, recognizes the park’s sophisticated management, sustainable green-space maintenance, and high-quality visitor experience.
The Hungarian capital’s historic park prevailed at the awards ceremony in Istanbul, competing against a global field of 55 projects from five world regions. As Benedek Gyorgyevics, CEO of the park’s operating company, Városliget Zrt., announced at a press conference in Budapest, the City Park was named Europe’s best large urban park.
Photo: MTI/Kocsis Zoltán
“When we originally planned the City Park’s renewal, our vision was for it to serve simultaneously as a cradle of culture, remain a wonderful park filled with exciting buildings and cultural attractions, and provide a recreational environment. Here in Istanbul, it was specifically the recreational environment that was recognized,” the CEO said.
More than 70 colleagues are available around the clock, 365 days a year, to ensure that the park consistently welcomes visitors to the standards they have come to expect.
Events and attractions taking place in the City Park’s green spaces place a strain on the park, but the affected areas are continually renewed, Gyorgyevics noted.
Photo: MTI/Balogh Zoltán
The CEO also noted that
in recent years, the park had received awards for culture, real estate development, and tourism.
The award was presented in Istanbul on Friday evening.
Museum of Ethnography in the Budapest City Park. Photo: MTI/Balogh Zoltán
Of a total 55 nominations submitted, four projects from Europe received recognition, with the Budapest City Park winning in the Large Urban Parks category.
The park was honored for its professional management, outstanding maintenance of its green spaces, and high-quality visitor experience.
Maintaining the City Park is one of Hungary’s most complex park management tasks. Its distinctive character stems from its size and diverse functions. In addition to nature areas, sports facilities, and playgrounds, the more than 200-year-old park is home to institutions such as the House of Music Hungary, the Museum of Ethnography, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Millennium House.
Despite the park’s enormous visitor traffic, ongoing care is provided for its green spaces, including approximately 7,000 trees, as well as its buildings and institutions, park furniture, paved surfaces, infrastructure, and the condition of the lake, which covers 60,000 square meters.
Vajdahunyad Castle at the City Park’s lake. Photo: MTI/Balogh Zoltán
The approximately 400 waste bins installed throughout the park, its 35 drinking fountains, and the condition of its playgrounds are continuously monitored. Soil moisture sensors help optimize plant care, while sensors monitor the lake’s water quality.
A survey commissioned by Városliget Zrt. found that 99 percent of the 1,000 people interviewed in the park were satisfied with the improvements made to the area.
Likewise, 99 percent considered it beneficial that the City Park brings together opportunities for sports, relaxation, family activities, and cultural experiences in one location. Ninety-nine percent of respondents believed that the park had become a better, more orderly place over the past decade, while 98 percent agreed that the park now had a responsible organization overseeing its management.
The park’s popularity is also reflected in how frequently people use it: nearly three-quarters of respondents visit at least once a week, while 41 percent visit several times a week.
The project has become Europe's largest cultural urban development project, recognized with more than fifty domestic and international awards.Continue reading
Via MTI, Featured image: Hungary Today
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