Before World War II, Petőfi Square was one of the most impressive parts of Debrecen. The emblematic building of the courthouse, the district court, the Deák Ferenc Street Synagogue and the Royal Hotel were all located here. However most of these were lost during a series of bombings during the war.
The Square is still considered as the gateway to the city. Visitors to the city arriving by first see the square. Therefore, it is important to be able to show a more impressive cityscape, Mayor László Papp talked to Napló about the importance of the developments.
An important concept of the investment is to create a functional space that commemorates the old buildings. To achieve this, the history of a building as well as the image of its façade will be laser cut into steel walls. These steel walls will be placed at different points in the renovated square, according to the location of the original buildings. They will give a picture of what the space looked like before the bombing.
In addition to the commemoration, the city will be enriched with new water surfaces and quality green areas. The green area will be significantly increased in the 1.7-hectare area, playgrounds, promenades and cafes will be established, and a lake of 500-600 square meters will also be developed in order to provide a proper microclimate.
Perennial crops will be planted on 112 square meters on the 1.7-hectare square, new lawns will be created on nearly 6.5 thousand square meters, 85 trees will be planted, and shrubs and ground cover plants will also be planted on nearly 3,000 square meters.
For security, 14 cameras will be installed at 5 locations.
Over the past year, significant work has taken place in the square, as the city administration is already preparing for the reconstruction. The district heating line has been renovated. As part of the investment program, the water supply will also be replaced, which will take place at the same time as the modernization. The next step will be to launch a call for tenders.
The investment will be implemented from the Debrecen 2030 program and the associated EU funds.
Source: Haon
