Perhaps the most visited place in Budapest after the Hungarian Parliament is the city's main park, Városliget. It is located beyond Heroes' Square, practically in the historical center of the city. Visitors to Hungary's capital are drawn by the attractions located within the park, while local residents come here simply to relax.
Once, there were swamps here and the hunting grounds of Matthias I, King of Hungary; as you can imagine, the area was extremely unsuitable for landscape design. But at the beginning of the 19th century, when Maria Theresa ruled these lands, she imagined how beautiful a park could be here. The empress ordered the swamps to be drained, canals to be dug, artificial lakes to be made, and trees to be planted. That is how Városliget Park came into being, where several thousand old trees still grow today.
Major changes took place here in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, especially during the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Hungarians acquiring their land. In 1896, the grand Vajdahunyad Castle was built in the center of the park. In 1913, the largest bath complex in Europe appeared — the Széchenyi Thermal Bath.
In addition, there is the wonderful Gundel restaurant here, which is already more than a hundred years old! When you are there, be sure to order palacsinta — these are delicious signature crepes with various fillings.
