Hungarian Parliament, Budapest

An international competition was held for the design of a new Hungarian Parliament building. The contract went to Architect Imre Steindl and the building completed in 1904, after 19 years of planning and construction. Its location on the east bank of the Danube, in Pest, gives the building a spectacular setting. The massive building used forty million bricks in its construction, as well as 40kg of gold for its interior embellishments. The construction crew comprised of 1,000 workers.  The building itself is 268 meters long and 118 meters wide, with 27 entrances and 691 rooms. It is the very definition of opulence, and the second largest parliamentary building in Europe. The total length of stairs in the building is 12.5 miles, (20 km).

The Hungarian Parliament building was not just made to look pretty, it also has symbolic meaning. When viewed from across the Danube, either side of the dome, are the halls of the lower and upper houses, which rise equally and are surrounded by turrets.  The two halls are identical, which denotes an equality between the representative lower house and the historical upper house.  The dome between the two signifies their relationship, being two parts of a whole.  Today, there are no Lords in Hungary, and the Upper House is used as a conference and meeting room. Other symbolism is hidden in the building’s framework. The top of the dome is 96 meters high, which symbolizes the year of the Hungarian settlement in 896, there are also 96 steps on the main staircase. 

The great Parliament was built in the neo-Gothic (new gothic) style, with a Renaissance dome. The Parliament building was built at the height of Budapest’s Golden age, when the population more than quadrupled in size.  It was also another building which was part of Budapest’s massive building project for their 1,000-year celebration of Hungarian history in 1886, but although the building was inaugurated in 1886, the building was not fully completed until 1904.

Soon after Hungary's Parliament building was completed, it became a symbol of Budapest. It was the most expensive building ever built in Hungary. After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise in 1867, Hungary obtained more independence and had its own constitution.  This was the catalyst of the need for its own parliament to be constructed.  

Today, the Hungarian National Assembly still meets here, and the upper chamber can be visited when parliament is not in session, and the parliament building attracts over 700,000 visitors a year.  King Stephen’s 11th Century crown can also be seen, located under the dome and guarded 24 hours a day. No photos allowed unfortunately.