Last updated: December 2024
The Fairy Garden, also known as the WOW Recreational Park, is a distinctive green space located near Diósgyőr Castle in Miskolc, Hungary. Since its opening in April 2020, the park has quickly gained popularity, earning third place in the 2020 Tourism Attraction of the Year award in the professional category. Once a neglected and polluted site with historical significance, the area was transformed by a local entrepreneur. After removing over sixty containers of waste, including hazardous materials, a park was created that harmonizes with the natural environment, preserving existing willow trees and integrating water features fed by local streams. When creating the park, the creators respected the plants of the area to the maximum, not a single tree was cut down, and the fruit trees were also kept. The park boasts various decorative elements, including a carousel, a garden cinema, and other amenities. However, in September 2021, it was closed indefinitely for renovations. Gábor Vaszil, the lessee who had rented the land from the Miskolc municipality, intended to purchase the property for further development. Despite initial support from the local government, the transaction was halted due to concerns raised by the regional Water Management and Protection Authority regarding the protection of Miskolc's drinking water resources. Their ongoing investigation has delayed any further decisions about the sale or the future of the park. In the meantime, the garden remains open to the public for leisurely walks, similar to other municipal parks in Miskolc. (Ref.1-4)
Wow Garden
https://www.boon.hu/helyi-kozelet/2023/03/miskolc-diosgyor-tunderkert-marcius-fotok-video-boon
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Blue infrastructure
- Rivers/streams/canals/estuaries
- In-land wetlands, peatlands, swamps, and moors
- Parks and urban forests
- Large urban parks or forests
Key challenges
- Environmental quality
- Waste management
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Habitat and biodiversity conservation
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Improvements to water quality
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social interaction
- Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
- Tourism support
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Land use and Socio-economic change
- Unequal availability and access to public green spaces
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Inadequate access to recreational opportunities
- Disconnection from nature
- Other
Key priorities
Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration), Social Justice and community
Focus
Maintenance and management of urban nature, Maintenance or upgrade of exisiting green spaces (e.g. parks), Ecological restoration of ecosystems, Remediation activities of sites with very poor environmental quality, Ecological restoration of existing green spaces, Restoration and protection of ecosystems (including water ecosystems), Transformation of previously derelict areas, Landfill reclamation
Project objectives
-To clean and rehabilitate a previously neglected and polluted area, removing hazardous waste and restoring the natural landscape.
-To create a park that harmonizes with the surrounding environment, preserving existing trees and integrating the stream found at the project location into the park as an improved water feature, providing habitat for species.
-To develop a space that is free and accessible and offers cultural, recreational activities and opportunities for interactions, including a garden cinema, live music events, and various decorative elements.
-To establish the park as a significant tourist attraction in Miskolc, contributing to the local tourism industry.
(Ref.1-4)
Implementation activities
The implementation work for the Fairy Garden was led by project developer Gábor Vaszil and his friends, along with a hired construction company. The first major step involved removing over sixty containers of waste from the site, which included hazardous materials such as automotive tires, construction debris, asbestos, and other pollutants.
Next, the team focused on restoring the area by rerouting water from the site to nearby streams and addressing the natural water systems without disturbing historical earthworks. Throughout the development, special care was taken to ensure that no trees were cut down; the emphasis was on maintaining the existing flora while integrating fruit trees among other plants.
Utilizing the natural water sources, the project created and maintained a stream running through the park, which provides a drainage solution for the marshy area and habitats for ducks and other wildlife. Various decorative elements were installed, including a Venetian horse carousel, as a central attraction. In addition to these features, a garden cinema was created, surrounded by a pergola and an open-air stage for hosting events such as film screenings, concerts, and performances. A rooftop café and an artisanal ice cream shop were constructed. (Ref. 1-4)
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity conservation:
- Protect and enhance urban habitats
- Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
- Protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect species
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
- Unknown
Governance
Management set-up
- Led by non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Private sector/corporate actor/company
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- The project didn't involve any form of stakeholder participatory activities
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The entrepreneur, Gabor Vaszil, who led the restoration and development efforts is the main stakeholder, driving the project’s vision and execution, is a wealthy developer who decided to rent and beautify the project area after finding its previous neglected state unsatisfactory. Vaszil hired a construction company to carry out the implementations. At the start, the project was just a volunteer cleaning effort carried out by Vaszil and his friends that turned into this initiative.
Miskolc Municipality is the landowner and regulatory authority, overseeing the lease, potential sale, and compliance with environmental regulations. The Regional Water Management and Protection Authority is crucial in ensuring that the project does not compromise local water resources, particularly concerning the area’s historical water systems.
(Ref.1-4)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Unknown
Type of enablers
Governance innovations (such as public private partnerships), Change agents (individual with major role influence on launching)
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Angel / informal investors
Type of funding
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
No
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Environmental quality
- Improved waste management
- Achieved improved waste management
- Water management and blue areas
- Improved water quality
- Achieved improved water quality
- Green space and habitat
- Restoration of derelict areas
- Achieved restoration of derelict areas
Economic impacts
- Attraction of business and investment
- Achieved attraction of business and investment
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Achieved improved access to urban green space
- Increased opportunities for social interaction
- Achieved increased opportunities for social interaction
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Other
References
1.
Wikipedia contributers (n.d.). WOW Pihenőpark. Wikipedia, Accessed on September 23, 2024,;
2.
Szaniszlo, B. (2023). Ez (nem) történik most a miskolci Tündérkertben - fotókkal, videóval. BOON, Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link];
3.
Sokszínű Vidék (2022). Megoldást szeretne a miskolci tündérkert ügyében a borsodi főispán. [Source link];
4.
Hegyi, E. (2021). Nem bezárják, felújítják a miskolci Tündérkertet. BOON, Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link];
5.
Wikipedia contributers (n.d.). Diósgyőr. Wikipedia, Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link];
6.
Google reviews writers (n.d.). wow szabadidőpark, tündérkert miskolc reviews. Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link];
7.
Dakos, E. (2020). A városi lét és a vidéki élet jóféle találkozása: Miskolc csodája, a Tündérkert. woohoo, Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link];
8.
Hegyi., E. (2019). Mi az a csodás kert a vár tövében?. BOON, Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link];
Wow Garden
https://www.boon.hu/helyi-kozelet/2023/03/miskolc-diosgyor-tunderkert-marcius-fotok-video-boon
Wow Garden
https://www.boon.hu/helyi-kozelet/2023/03/miskolc-diosgyor-tunderkert-marcius-fotok-video-boon
Wizard of Oz characters' statues along the walkway
Valbonatours
Aerial view of the Wow park - Fairy garden
Ede Marton
A section of the Wow park - Fairy garden
Ref.8
Wow Garden
https://www.boon.hu/helyi-kozelet/2023/03/miskolc-diosgyor-tunderkert-marcius-fotok-video-boon
Wow Garden
https://www.boon.hu/helyi-kozelet/2023/03/miskolc-diosgyor-tunderkert-marcius-fotok-video-boon
Wow Garden
https://www.boon.hu/helyi-kozelet/2023/03/miskolc-diosgyor-tunderkert-marcius-fotok-video-boon
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.