1 Budavári Palota (Buda Castle Palace)
2 Gellért-hegy (Gellért Hill)
3 Halászbástya (Fishermen's Bastion)
4 Magyar Állami Operaház (Hungarian State Opera House)
5 Margit-sziget (Margaret Island)
6 Mátyás-templom (Matthias Church)
7 Országház (Parliament)
8 Szent István Bazilika (St Stephen's Basilica)
9 Szépművészeti Mùzeum (Fine Arts Museum)
10 Várhegy (Castle Hill)
Budapest's magnificent Parliament is a vivid expression of Hungarian national identity.
A glorious Gothic pile bedecked with towers and pinnacles, it was started in 1884, and finally completed in 1904. Today it remains a potent symbol of pride in the then newly independent kingdom, and a testament of the wealth of Hungary's industrial age.
The huge central dome is exactly 96m high - a conscious and deliberate reference to the Magyar conquest of Hungary in 896. It dominates a structure which covers some 17,700sq m, encompassing ten courtyards and hundreds of rooms. Directly beneath the dome is a grand 16-sided hall, flanked to north and south by individual chambers for the two houses of the Hungarian parliament (now a single National Assembly). Statues of prominent Hungarians occupy the central hall (a bust of the Parliament's architect Imre Steidl stands modestly off the main staircase), which is still used for state occasions. Further statues of rulers and military leaders adorn the outside of the building, reinforcing the impression of a strong national identity. Not all commentators admire the building - one Hungarian poet likened it, rather unkindly, to a cross between a Gothic chapel and a Turkish bath - but for many it is the outstanding example of Gothic architecture on a grand scale to be seen in the whole of Europe.Address: Kossuth Lajos tér, Budapest V
Phone: Tours: 268 4437
Open: Guided tours (in English): Wed-Sun 10am (when Parliament is in session); Mon-Fri 10am, 2pm, Sat 12:30pm, Sun 10am (during recess)
Restaurant: Szalay (Inexpensive)
Bus: 15; tram 2; trolley bus 70, 78
Metro: Kossuth tér
Accessible: None
Admission: Moderate
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