Szabadság Square

Gödöllő is rightfully proud of the title „Hungary’s prettiest Main Square”, an award won at the Entente Florale Hungary competition. You are welcome to relax and enjoy not only the flowers but the pleasant surroundings, fountains, statues, and World Peace Gong on the Gödöllő Main Square. Description The understated fountain, clad in natural stone elements, is illuminated by 13 LED underwater luminaires, creating a fabulous atmosphere in the evening. An interactive fountain has also been installed in the Main Square, replacing 5 jets. The watery, frothy jet of water that emerges from the fountain is illuminated by 4 underwater lamps of varying colours per nozzle.The fountain is not just a spectacular feature of the renovated space, it is also a great source of entertainment for children, young and old, who can enjoy a competition. Each nozzle is equipped with a step sensor, which changes the height of the water jet and the colour of the lighting as it jumps. The winner between two or more competitors is the one who jumps higher up the water column. In addition to the “Hungary’s Most Beautiful Main Square” award, Gödöllő also received a recognition from the Green City Movement: the association offered environmental consultancy services to the city. Since September 2013, a free wifi network has been available in the city’s main square , which anyone can connect to with their notebook or smartphone without a password.   World Peace Gong For the first time in Europe, a monument proclaiming the brotherhood of the peoples of the Earth, a gift from Indonesia to Hungary, was erected in the main square of Gödöllő. The symbol, which depicts the flags of the world’s nations, symbols of world religions and a map of the Earth’s oceans, was created by the World Peace Commission as a memento of the series of bombings that killed 200 people in 2002 in the Indonesian tourist paradise of Bali. It was offered to our country in 2007 in recognition of our country’s civilisational and economic-technological progress and successful promotion of peaceful social relations. The bronze monument, weighing 150 kilograms and measuring 2 metres in diameter, was unveiled on 2 May 2007 by Indonesian sculptor Djuyoto Suntani. Its history is written on the black marble plaque in front of it, and the small park around it is planted with tropical plants. Reformed Church With its simple facade and its beautifully arched onion dome, the more than 260-year-old church of the Reformed Church of Gödöllő stands out among the buildings in the main square. Its patron was Antal I. Grassalkovich, who demolished the old Reformed church on the site of the present Royal Castle and provided the land, building materials and money for the new Baroque church, consecrated in 1745, in the centre of the town. The church has been renovated several times in its history: in 1912, the originally painted and carved ceiling and choir were replaced with concrete. After the severe destruction by bombing in 1945, a long period of renovation followed, and the tower was restored in 1993. Source: Gödöllő Városi Információs Portál, 2017, www.godollo.hu Read moreClose Szabadság Square Gödöllő,Szabadság tér

Queen Elizabeth Park

Nearly a hundred species of evergreen adorn Queen Elizabeth Park, created following her unexpected and tragic death in 1898. The grove, which is directly accessible from the Castle Park, is rich in botanical rarities. Following the Queen’s death, more than a hundred groves and nearly 3,000,000 memorial trees were planted throughout the country in honour of her memory, by order of Ignác Darányi, Minister of Agriculture. Description The park and the statue of Queen Elizabeth, the work of József Róna, were inaugurated in 1901 in the presence of Franz Joseph I.A promenade lined with Crimean linden trees leads to the statue of the Queen, who considers Gödöllő her home. The monument to Queen Elizabeth, which stands behind the statue of Queen Elizabeth, was also built in her memory. Its construction began in the autumn of 1988 and its stones represent the sixty-four counties of Hungary at that time. Designed by sculptor György Zala, the creator of the Heroes’ Square statues in Budapest, the composition is topped by a royal crown carved in white limestone. The front of the monument features a plaque to Queen Elizabeth and a bench, with steps leading up to the Holy Crown at the top. After the park entrance, the Calvary is on the right. A typical public monument of Baroque ecclesiastical art, it was begun in 1771, the year of the death of Antal Grassalkovich I. Its builder was probably János Mayerhoffer. The construction was completed by the Count’s son, Antal Grassalkovich II, and the Calvary was consecrated in 1775. Calvaries were usually placed on a hill in the style of Golgotha, but in flat areas the composition was built on top of hollow stone buildings.The one in Gödöllő is like this: it is based on a square building with a truncated heel, flanked on either side by a flight of curved steps. The building and the staircase are surrounded by a rococo stone balustrade with an openwork pattern. Above, at the foot of the cross of Christ and the two Lators, are the figures of the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene and St John. Source: Gödöllő Városi Információs Portál, 2017, www.godollo.hu Read moreClose Queen Elizabeth Park Gödöllő