Népliget or People's Park is the biggest public park in Budapest, Hungary. It is located southeast of the city centre, and covers an area of . It was established to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the union of Pest, Buda and Óbuda. The park is the site of the Planetarium, which is a laser theatre, and the E-klub, the biggest night club in Budapest.[1]
| Népliget Park | |
| Location: | Budapest, Hungary |
| Time: | CET (UTC+1) CEST (DST) |
| Opened: | 1936 |
| Closed: | 1972 |
| Events: | European Touring Car Championship (1963–1964, 1966–1967, 1969–1970) Grand Prix motor racing Hungarian Grand Prix (1936) |
| Layout1: | Full Circuit (1937–1972) |
| Length Km: | 5.294 |
| Length Mi: | 3.290 |
| Turns: | 19 |
| Record Time: | 2:24.500 |
| Record Driver: | Toine Hezemans |
| Record Car: | Alfa Romeo GTAm |
| Record Year: | 1970 |
| Record Class: | Group 2 |
| Layout2: | Original Circuit (1936) |
| Length Km2: | 4.988 |
| Length Mi2: | 3.100 |
| Turns2: | 22 |
| Record Time2: | 2:35.680 |
| Record Driver2: |  Tazio Nuvolari |
| Record Car2: | Alfa Romeo 8C–35 |
| Record Year2: | 1936 |
| Record Class2: | GP |
The park was the site of the 1936 Hungarian Grand Prix, held on roads within the park,[2] as well as a round of the 1963 European Touring Car Challenge season. The circuit hosted European Touring Car Championship races in 1963–1964, 1966–1967, and 1969–1970.[3] The Hungarian Grand Prix was also scheduled for 7 October 1984 but was cancelled and replaced by the European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring.[4]
The official fastest race lap records at the Népliget Park are listed as:
| Category | Time | Driver | Vehicle | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full Circuit: 5.294 km (1937–1972)[5] [6] | ||||
| 2:24.500[7] | 1970 Budapest ETCC round | |||
| 2:27.100[8] | 1969 Budapest ETCC round | |||
| 2:43.000[9] | 1970 Budapest ETCC round | |||
| Original Circuit: 4.988 km (1936) | ||||
| 2:35.680 | 1936 Hungarian Grand Prix | |||
South of the park is the Népliget bus station, an international coach station. The Line 3 (North–south line) of the Budapest Metro has a stop there. The tram #1-#1A have three stops along the north-western border of the Népliget.