It was the final attraction, which had been one of the symbols of the Hungarian capital for many years, that sounded the death knell.

I saw Park lose money and that is unforgivable these days. The capital’s management cannot afford to subsidize annual losses of 50 to 150 million forints (4.5 to 13.5 million kroons). Therefore, he proposed the cancellation of Vidám Park, which has been visited by generations of the capital’s residents, domestic and foreign visitors.

The advantage of city parks is that they provide many entertainment possibilities in a relatively small space. What was once considered an advantage, is now a disadvantage. A huge city of two million people grew up around it, the city park was surrounded by railways and highways and there was nowhere to expand.

The famous Széchényi baths and Nagycirkusz brick circus didn’t mind much, but the zoo and Vidám Park started paying for the limited space. The zoo wanted to enlarge the animal enclosures, build a new pavilion, but nothing could be done. Vidám Park wanted to get a new modern attraction, but had no place to place it.

“For us, the ideal solution would be to expand the zoo to the area where Vidám Park now operates, or combine the zoo with a theme park,” said Miklós Persányi, director of Budapest Zoo. The city is promoting the relocation of the theme park to another part of Budapest, where there will be room for new, modern attractions. Thus, the zoo can be expanded to another six hectares.

In its heyday, two million people passed through the gates of Vidám Park. Now, attendance is down to 300,000 people a year. The park management tried to save the situation by buying several modern attractions, but this only added to the debt. In contrast, Budapest Zoo recorded 1.2 million visitors last year. These numbers are clearly against Vidám Park. Young people prefer modern attractions, which parks rarely offer, and old attractions are no longer so attractive to young people.

According to initial plans, two historic sites – a woodworm track and a wooden merry-go-round – would be preserved and become part of the zoo. This century-old carousel was only reconstructed to its original form in the early 20th century.

The caterpillar track (Hullámvasút) does not inspire confidence at first glance, but it is an integral part of Vidá Park. This unique wooden structure was built in 1922. The cars reach speeds of up to 40 kilometers per hour on a thousand-meter track. Another famous attraction, the Enchanted Castle, was reduced to ashes in a major fire several years ago.

Vidám Park will close its 62-year history this year. The beginning is marked by the moment he starts it. Eyewitnesses recall the ubiquitous photos of Moscow’s giants and persistent efforts to make the park as similar as possible to Moscow’s Gorky Children’s Park.

However, in difficult times, Hungarian society needed a little entertainment, and in 1956 attendance reached two million people. At that time there were up to 65 tourist attractions in the park.

When Vidám Park is mentioned, almost every Hungarian conjures up personal memories of one of the attractions. “It belongs to Sunday’s program. We took a walk in the city park, tried some of the attractions, bought cotton candy and felt good,” said Ádám Kornél, who is around fifty years old. “Even though new attractions appear, for me the old woodworm trail remains number one,” says Katalin Szendröová.