As part of the Debrecen 2030 program, a new pedestrian zone was inaugurated in the city center on 15th August. The development was completed in seven months as planned, within the framework timetable. Approximately an 11 thousand square metre surface area was renewed in Dósa nádor tér as well as a section of Csapó utca. Thereby greatly increasing the green area to 970 square meters.
At the inaugurated event, Mayor László Papp said it was worth remodeling, as there were previously too many cars using the area, aged asphalt, and very little in the way of green space in this area. He added that the goal was to rethink the downtown pedestrian zone. The mayor emphasized that the people of Debrecen will have a modern, up-to-date downtown space, and this renovated location will simultaneously embody novelty, creativity, and tradition.
László Papp said: on August 20th, the square will also be graced with another ornament: the statue of St. Stephen will be a welcome addition, commemorating our founding king with a worthy position in the square. The mayor emphasized that it was not only the square that was remodeled but also a section of Csapó Street.
The renewed Dósa Nádor square from above – At last, the flower market has also acquired a shape that suits Debrecen, he emphasized. He added that there are 120 sales outlets here, which can also function as community spaces and benches. The mayor also talked about the fact that there was a lot of debate about the need for tree planting downtown.
“There was a lot of discussion about greenery and trees downtown. There have been a lot of comments about why we don’t plant a lot of trees in this space. We did not plant trees but not because we did not want to, but rather because we could not plant a single tree in this square.
Debrecen’s busiest utility network is located below Dósa Nádor Square: gas, district heating, electricity, and water pipelines, as well as the railway control center of Eastern Hungary, are fed into the former Tisza Palace through this square. No trees can be planted on these lines, so we chose to plant 15 new trees in pots instead.
Therefore, when they give an opinion on space, I ask for their understanding that we did what we could and made the most out of this space, emphasized László Papp at the opening of Dósa Nádor square. “I am confident that the youth of the square will make it one of the most popular venues in the city, and then the atmosphere of the Christmas market will move into the square,” the mayor said.
László Pósán, a member of parliament for the area also gave a speech at the inauguration event, he said that another important milestone had been reached in the city. He added that the Dósa Nádor square enriches the public spaces of Debrecen, where people can have a good time.
*** When planning the reconstruction of Dósa nádor tér and Csapó utca, the aim was to create a new community space that is organically connected to the main square and to create a much larger green area than the current one. To achieve this, large, contiguous lawn and plant areas have been created: for example, 360 square meters of lawn carpets have been created.
An automatic irrigation network was also built-in to properly replenish the vegetation. The city continues to adhere to its goal of planting a total of 10,000 trees in the city in 5 years in Debrecen, as part of a program called “our garden”. With 15 trees now planted in Dósa Nádor Square – since April 2019 – there are now a total of 1676 new trees in Debrecen.
The square is currently home to the city’s most modern – special, recessed – water play area, designed with environmental considerations in mind. The fountain is not only water-saving but also has fully automated control for both water and light display, – equipped with LED lighting.
As part of the development, 1 drinking water well, 17 backrest benches, 8 single backrest benches, 4 circular concrete benches, waste bins, 1 automatic and self-cleaning toilet, and 28 bicycle racks were installed on the square, as well 3 play spheres which serve as excellent hiding places for the children.
The pedestrian zone on Csapó Street, – The flower market in Debrecen has been a colourful fresh highlight of the city center for decades, which will now be able to operate in a dignified environment with the current development – keeping the atmosphere of the old flower market.
A total of 128 flower sales benches were built in two rows on Csapó Street, each of which can be adjusted to three positions, thus facilitating flower sales. In addition, 4 lockable flower sales pavilions were created to fit the image of the space. And our common values are protected by surveillance cameras in the new pedestrian zone.
Dósa Nádor Square and the section of Csapó utca from Piac utca to Liszt Ferenc utca are also connected to the previously built pedestrian zone, and the statue of St. Stephen – designed and created by the sculptor Borbála Szanyi – is located here at the new Dósa Nádor square
Sources: dehir.hu, debrecen.hu
