Városliget Ranked Europe’s Best Park
2026/10/15
Successes
Városliget (City Park) in Budapest has been ranked Europe’s best large urban park: it was presented with the Large Urban Parks Award Europe 2026 by World Urban Parks (WUP), one of the world’s leading professional organisations for parks and urban green spaces, at the awards ceremony in Istanbul. Városliget, which has an area of almost 100 hectares, was recognised for its professional management, outstanding standards of green-space maintenance and high-quality visitor experience. Welcoming 8–9 million visitors each year, Városliget has now joined the ranks of the world’s leading parks, while establishing itself as Hungary’s number one cultural, recreational and family destination.
We are immensely proud of this prestigious international accolade, as this time it recognised our achievement in the maintenance of Városliget and the professional work behind it, making the park’s day-to-day operation possible. Following the recognition we have received for our work in property development, architecture, culture and tourism, the Liget [Városliget] is now among the world’s best in another important area: professional park management. The team at Városliget Zrt. works year-round to ensure that the park welcomes visitors with the same high standards of orderliness, cleanliness and safety as when the developments were completed. This award is above all a recognition of their dedicated work. The secret to maintaining Városliget is that we do not simply care for green spaces but manage and operate an almost 100-hectare urban park
said Benedek Gyorgyevics, CEO of Városliget Zrt.
World Urban Parks is the international professional organisation for urban parks, public spaces and the recreation sector, bringing together municipalities, park management organisations and professionals from around the world. A total of 55 entries from five global regions were submitted for the 2026 World Urban Parks Awards. Four European projects received awards, with Városliget recognised in the Large Urban Parks category.
The award highlights the importance of the day-to-day management of Városliget, the care and maintenance of its green spaces, and the services provided to visitors, while also recognising the park’s role as a community space.
The professional operation of Városliget ranks among the most complex park management tasks in Hungary, having earned international recognition thanks to the more than a decade of professional expertise and operational experience. It requires the coordinated management of the natural environment, the sports facilities, the playgrounds and the cultural institutions in a more than 200-year-old, 100-hectare park, while annual visitor numbers have increased from 5–6 million to 8–9 million.
Over 270,000 square metres of green space have been renewed in Városliget, with the condition of its 7,000 or so trees and 60,000-square-metre lake as well as its park furniture and infrastructure being continuously monitored. The park maintenance works are carried out daily by over 70 specialists, supported by a 24/7 dispatch service and digital systems. SMART solutions include soil-moisture sensors helping to optimise the care of the park’s vegetation, while sensors also monitor the quality of the lake water. Moreover, Városliget Zrt. was the first in Hungary to introduce an SLA model based on defined service levels and measurable quality parameters, which has been in use for four years in conjunction with the Horticultural Division of BKM FŐKERT.
The international recognition received by Városliget clearly demonstrates that modern park management now means far more than simply maintaining green spaces: sustainability, innovative operations and a high-quality visitor experience are also of key importance. It is a powerful example of how strategic planning, professional expertise and continuous innovation create lasting value for visitors and the urban environment alike.
