Skating Rink already in operation2012. március 1.
The reconstruction of the City Park Ice Rink has come to near completion. Although still on trial until 4 March, the facility renovated with EU support is already used by the skate fans of Budapest, thousands of whom visit Europe’s most modern open-air ice rink at weekends, said General Manager László Bartha.
Taking up some of City Park Lake, the ice rink was inaugurated in 1870 by Crown Prince Rudolf. The adjacent neobaroque building was completed in 1893. The City Park Ice Rink was last operated before renovation in the 2008-2009 winter season. This modernisation project cost 4.7 billion forints, with 3.1 billion forints provided from EU support.
In the first phase of the project, the world famous open-air artificial ice rink was reconstructed. In the second phase, the decrepit neobaroque main building under protection as a monument recovered its original appearance to fit in the priority tourist area, and the wing destroyed by World War II bombings was rebuilt. This re-enabled the main building to welcome foreign and domestic visitors to this key area of Budapest in a civilised way, and gave rise to a reception centre in City Park, which can duly serve tourists in an appropriate manner, including tourist, gastronomic and sport functions, which have been missing so far. Also, the renovated building complex harmonises well with the historic environment and the familiar city view.
The project revived the old traditions of the lake, created new tourist values and became suitable for hosting tourist and cultural events by the lake, which may be refilled with water between spring and autumn. The lake had long been too shallow for rowing. By contrast, the renovated ice rink will be suitable for boating and other cultural events already this summer. In winter, it will be available for open-air skating, which attracts crowds from abroad as well, and for international ice sport events. On February 25 and 26, the City Park Ice Rink will host the combined national championship of speed skating sprint after the highly successful European speed skating championship.
Admittedly, an expert eye can still see lots of minor defects that need to be corrected. Hopefully, the builder Hérosz Zrt. will be able to repair them soon despite its bankruptcy. When Heti Válasz walked through the building with General Manager László Bartha and Monument Supervisor Rózsa Lampert (HV, 26 January, Page 48), the main entrance’s inscription still lacked its gilding. At the same time, the winged skate stucco emblem, which is the new logo of the Ice Rink, had already been cleaned.
Source: Heti Válasz