Békás-tó park | Debrecen, Hungary | Gardenworks

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The park of Békás-tó is situated in the middle of Nagyerdő, parkforest of the city of Debrecen (the center of the north-east Hungarian region). Nearly 20 hectares of neglected forest were turned into a vivid, popular public park, which is able to act like a representative “green core” of the city and a place for citizens, tourists and nature-lovers to relax, interact with each other at the same time.

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Békás-tó park is a beloved recreational center for the citizens of Debrecen. Among other features of the forest of Nagyerdő (e.g. spa, zoo, amusement park, sports fields) the park offers diverse spatial and temporal experiences as well as active and passive forms of recreation. The planning site is part of the forest of Nagyerdő, which was declared a protected natural area in 1939, therefore the park of Békás-tó is a strategic in saving the biodiversity of Nagyerdő, not just a design chiefly based on aesthetics. Ecology as well as artwork was a significant part of the project.

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The plan revolves around the existing lake in the middle of the park; all the functional areas are placed around Békás-tó and they are connected through the 18th century like path system. That also allows a tighter urban connectivity to the city of Debrecen. The aim of the project was to breathe new life into the surroundings of Békás-tó as a phenomenon of cultural history and as part of the natural heritage of Nagyerdő. The main goals of the total restoration were to increase the area of Békás-tó, construct a new stream bed and fulfilling all the needs of a contemporary park usage by erecting an open air theatre. The enlargement of the lake includes a new bridge, which gives us new perspectives of the park.

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As a result of the renewal the classic functional areas (such as walkways, picnic area, nature trail, open air theatre) were expanded by areas of contemporary, modern activities. In order to emphasise the main entrance of the park a fountain with a fog theatre was built, that also provides the visitor interaction with water and each other. The fountain is connected with the lake through a broad, straight walkway bordered with flowering perennial beds. Thanks to the new outdoor fitness equipments, the jogging track and petanque terrain the possible forms of sport activites were expanded. A playground of unique design and forest playground equipment was designed to entertain and educate children; the design draws from the shapes of the protected animals of Békás-tó.

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Békás-tó park
,  Debrecen, Hungary
Design Team | Gardenworks Ltd. (András Kuhn, Beatrix Bőcs, Mónika Radics), Enikő Kapás
Consultants | BORD Építész Stúdió Ltd.
Client |  Municipality of Debrecen
Area | 190,000 m2
Image Credits | Gardenworks Ltd.

Text Credit | Gardenworks Ltd.

About Damian Holmes 3431 Articles
Damian Holmes is the Founder and Editor of World Landscape Architecture (WLA). He is a registered landscape architect (AILA) working in international design practice in Australia. Damian founded WLA in 2007 to provide a website for landscape architects written by landscape architects. Connect on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/damianholmes/