Hungarian Parliament Building

1885

A parliament for a city of three towns made into one

Budapest was united from the three cities of Buda, Óbuda and Pest in 1873. Seven years later the Diet decided to build a new parliament, and Imre Steindl won an international competition with a neo-Gothic design that resembled the Palace of Westminster in London. Building began in 1885, the building was inaugurated for the country's presumed 1,000th anniversary in 1896, and it opened in 1902.

691 rooms

The largest building in Hungary, 96 metres high on purpose

It is 268 metres long and 123 metres wide, the largest building in the country since it was finished. It has 10 courtyards, 27 gates, 29 staircases and 691 rooms, more than 200 of them offices. Its height of 96 metres alludes to 1896, the year of the nation's supposed millennium.

691rooms, with 10 courtyards, 27 gates and 29 staircases

Inside and out

There are 242 sculptures on the walls, and a crown in the hall

Inside and outside there are altogether 242 sculptures on the walls, showing Hungarian rulers, Transylvanian leaders and famous military figures. One of the most famous parts of the building is the sixteen-sided central hall, with a Lower House and an Upper House on either side. The Holy Crown of Hungary has been displayed in the central hall since 2000.

1989

The Republic was declared from its balcony in 1989

During the People's Republic of Hungary a red star stood on top of the dome. It was removed in 1990, after the fall of communism. On 23 October 1989, Mátyás Szűrös declared the Hungarian Republic from the balcony facing Kossuth Square. At the east front today is a memorial to the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.

Upkeep

It is almost always under renovation

Because of its large surface and its detailed handiwork, the building is almost always under renovation. Only a small part is used by the government today, and the other wing sometimes holds events. The modern National Assembly is unicameral and meets in the former Lower House.