Népliget Poised to Become the New Business District of Budapest

Népliget is Budapest’s new business district, a modern neighbourhood with an abundance of real estate investment opportunities and modern office buildings, which host some of the country’s largest companies, including the Magyar Telekom HQ.

There’s still a lot to do for the neighbourhood to gain notoriety and to be safe enough for travellers, but, as things evolve, in about three years this will be a modern, hip and happening area, especially when the new Museum of Transport opens its doors.

Népliget, the new business district of Budapest, is at the meeting point of Districts VIII., IX., and X. Its most important transport hubs are the Népliget metro station on the M3 North-South line and the Népliget International Bus Terminal. The area is still under development, with many office buildings and other edifices still under construction, but there are already several things to see here, especially considering that Budapest’s largest public park, Népliget – the People’s Park, is located within its limits.

Three Things to See in Népliget in the Future

1. Hungarian Museum of Transport

The Hungarian Museum of Transport (Magyar Műszaki és Közlekedési Múzeum, formerly Közlekedési Múzeum) is a prestigious institution, which opened its doors in 2009. Some of its permanent exhibitions are closed as the museum will be relocated from Városligeti körút near the Városliget City Park to Népliget at the railway maintenance depot of the Hungarian State Railways at Rákóczi út 42. The bid to restore and modernise the depot was won by American architecture company Diller Scofidio + Renfro. The massive new headquarters of the Hungarian Museum of Transport with 10,000 m2 of space, will house the eight permanent exhibitions on display at the former location, a technical library, a documentation centre, and a technical restoration base. There will also be a cafe, a beautifully landscaped garden, and other attractions. During the renewal of the museum, several exhibitions are still open to the public:

The Ábrahám Ganz Foundry Collection in Víziváros, in Budapest, the Technical Study Stores with its special exhibition spaces and the Museum of Electrical Engineering in the heart of the city are ready to greet the visitors interested in technology and transport. In the countryside, the Museum of Chemistry in Várpalota, the Museum of Aluminum Industry in Székesfehérvár and the Metallurgical Collection in Miskolc are ready to meet the demands of the visitors until the Museum of Transport is reconstructed.

2. TIT Budapest Planetarium

TIT Budapest Planetarium, which is operated by Tudományos Ismeretterjesztő Társulat (Scientific Society for Knowledge) is in Népliget park. It suffered severe water damage after heavy rainfall in August 2016 and it is currently closed for renovations. It is, however, expected to reopen this summer with renewed exhibition halls and new and modern shows.

3. People’s Park

People’s Park, or, in Hungarian Népliget, which gives the name to the new business district, is the largest public park in Budapest. It’s about 15 minutes drive from Mamaison Residence Izabella and Mamaison Hotel Andrássy heading southeast of the city centre. It covers an area of 110 hectares (270 acres) featuring walking paths, playgrounds, rich vegetation, sports courts, statues, fountains, and memorials. The Solar System walk designed by Mátis András and Pesti Lászlóis in 2001 is one of the most interesting features of the park. It starts with the sun behind the stairs behind the Planetarium and follows a path that measures 650 meters – one meter is supposed to represent about ten million kilometres. Other attractions in Népliget park include:

• The Flower Collection of the Botanical Museum of the Hungarian Natural History Museum (Könyves Kálmán krt. 40)
• FTC 2. Youth Center – a sports centre within the limits of Népliget park (Vajda Péter u)
• Liget Club nightclub – one of the largest and most popular of its kind in Budapest, also within the limits of Népliget park (Népligeti út 2)

Featured image, Népliget Arboretum via Wikipedia.