Inside Hungary’s Icon: The Hungarian Parliament building
The Hungarian Parliament Building
It is one of the most iconic and famous public buildings in Budapest that was built of a mixture of eclectic, baroque and neo-gothic styles based on Imre Steindl’s plan in 1885. Constructions continued for 17 years with average 1000 workers who used about 40 million bricks and 40 kilos of gold. Fun fact: the House of Parliament has two meeting rooms with different colored carpits. The one that’s in the lounge of the upper house is blue because of the ancient nobel members called as „blue-blooded”. The building can be visited continuously but before you make a trip please check on the actual news on the official website of the Parliament.
Guided tours in the House of Parliament
Qualified tour guides can be hired or you can take an audioguide to discover the most beautiful and impressive halls and places such as the Dome Hall where the Hungarian Holy Crown and the Coronation Insignia, among the oldest coronation regalia in Europe are kept. The walk lasts for about 45 minutes. At the end of the tour a Parliamentary Museum can be also visited where collected and preserved memories are exposed to public of the Hungarian parliamentarism. The Museum has four permanent exhibitions with the use of traditional and multimedia technics and displays. Beside the collection of objects and documents the institute has a significant digital database available for all.
Kossuth Lajos Square
It’s the symbolic center of the Hungarian State wrapped around with architectural wonders like the Hungarian Parliament, the Palace of Justice and the building of the Ministry of Agriculture. The square is full of historical monuments and memorials such as the country flag and the eternal flame of revolutionary of 1956. In the forecourt of the Parliament a memorial is placed underground in connection with the 100th anniversary of the Treaty of Trianon. Statues of Franz II. Rákóczi and Count Gyula Andrássy can be discovered and bypassed surrounded by the Kossuth Memorial, the Monument to the National Martyrs and the Monument of Count István Tisza. If you walk to the South of the Parliament Building beside the Danube, a statue can be seen of Attila József who was one of the most famous and greatest poet of Hungary.
Margaret Island
Take a visit to the city’s biggest park where you can walk among medieval sacred architectural monuments or just want to escape from the city bustle and rush. The park has various kind of leisure programs and places offering refreshment for body and soul all day long. Explore the small Pet ZOO where you can get close to different species of rescued animals such as storks, ducks and birds of prey. Don’t miss visiting the Music Fountain that is enjoyed by locals and tourists as well from May until October. A musical block is played every hour accompanied by about 250 colorful led lights with multimedia laser control. Palatinus Bath is a must do particularly when you travel with family and kids. It’s a perfect place to spend a whole day where spectacular food and snacks are available. We also recommend to have a walk onto the small Japanese Garden of Margaret Island enjoying nature sitting on a bench. There is an open air theatre in the park in which high quality performances are held with an auditorium that can accomodate almost 3000 guests. The repertoire is very colorful, it offers musical-, opera- and theater performances, and on the other hand dance- and show events guarantee a memorable experience. From a tourist point of view the Water Tower of Margaret Island is an outstanding cultural attraction where Visual Art exhibitions are organized. This is the country’s biggest water tower where from the top a circular panorama of Budapest can be seen. A running circle is available on the Island that is popular because of its location and the quality of the runway. Margaret Island provides home to buildings such as the National Sport Pool of Alfréd Hajós and hotels like the Thermal Hotel of Margitsziget and Grand Hotel of Margitsziget.
