Budapest Parliament and Surroundings – 9 Amazing Tips

Budapest Parliament

Budapest Parliament
Budapest Parliament

Towards the end of the 18th and throughout the 19th century Pest underwent a series of huge changes. In 1838 a flood destroyed most of the rural dwellings that had occupied the area until that time. The unification of Budapest in 1873, and the 1,000-year anniversary, in 1896, of the Magyar conquest also boosted the city’s development.

Urbanization crossed the medieval walls that marked Pest’s limits. This period produced some of the most important buildings in Hungary. These include St Stephen’s Basilica, Budapest Parliament, and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, all built in a variety of revivalist styles. Many Neo-Classical residences were also built, particularly on Nádor utca, Akadémia utca, and Oktobér 6 utca.

Budapest Parliament

Országház

Parliament Building Hungary Budapest Parliament
Parliament Building Hungary Budapest

Hungary’s Parliament is the country’s largest building and has become a symbol of Budapest. There was a competition to choose its design. The winner was Imre Steindl with a rich Neo-Gothic masterpiece built between 1885 – 1902.

Based on the Houses of Parliament in London and completed by Charles Barry in 1835-1836, it’s 268 meters (880 ft) long and 96 meters (315 ft) high. It has 691 rooms.

Special points of interest:

  • Dome:  The ceiling of the 96 meters (315 ft) high dome has an intricate design of Neo-Gothic gilding combined with heraldic decoration.
  • Gables: Almost every corner of the Parliament building features gables with pinnacles based on Gothic sculptures.
  • Main Staircase: The best contemporary artists came to Budapest to decorate the interior. The sumptuous main staircase features ceiling frescoes by Károly Lotz and sculptures by György Kiss.
  • Old Upper House Hall: The Old Upper House Hall is now used for holding international conferences. It is almost a mirror of the National Assembly Hall.
Address Kossuth Lajos tér 1-3, Budapest
Telephone +36 (1) 441 4000

Budapest Miniversum Museum

Budapest Miniversum Museum
Budapest Miniversum Museum

Check out Miniversum on your next trip to Budapest, a museum that hosts an incredible miniature model of Hungary, scaled to 1:100 of its size.

Interactive screens show the original photos of the sights, so you can compare them to the mini version laid out before you. The museum is designed to entertain the whole family, including a playhouse for children and a café with snacks and drinks available for purchase.

Address Andrássy út 12, Budapest

Ethnograpical Museum Budapest

Néprajzi Múzeum

Ethnographical Museum Budapest
Ethnographical Museum Budapest

The building of the Ethnographical Museum is a design by Alajos Hauszmann, constructed between 1893 -1896. Built as the Palace of Justice, it served as the Supreme Court of Hungary until 1945. The building’s design links elements of Renaissance, Baroque, and Classicism.

A vast portico crowned by two towers dominates the facade. It also features a gable crowned by the figure of the Roman goddess of justice in a chariot drawn by three horses. The grand hall inside the main entrance features a marvelous staircase and frescoes.

The building was first used as a museum in 1957, housing the Hungarian National Gallery, which was later transferred to the Royal Palace. The Ethnographical Museum has been here since 1973.

The museum’s collection started in 1872 in the Department of Ethnography at the Hungarian National Museum. There are now around 170,000 exhibits, although most are not on display.

The collection includes artifacts reflecting the rural folk culture of Hungary from the prehistoric era to the 21st century. A map from 1909 shows the settlement of the various communities who came to Hungary.

Ethnic items from these communities, as well as primitive objects from North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia, are also on display. The museum has two very informative permanent displays: Traditional Culture of the Hungarian Nation, and From Primeval Communities to Civilization.

Address Kossuth Lajos tér 12, Budapest

St Stephen’s Basilica near Budapest Parliament

St Stephens Basilica Budapest
St Stephens Basilica Budapest

This church designed by József Hild is dedicated to St Stephan, or István, the first Hungarian Christian king. The church has a Neo-Classical style, using a Greek cross floor plan. Construction began in 1851 and continued by Miklós Ybl in 1867, adding the Neo-Renaissance dome after the original one collapsed in 1868. József Kauser, completed the church in 1905. It received the title of Basilica in 1938, the 900th anniversary of St Istváns death.

Points of interest:

  • St Matthew is one of the four Evangelists represented in the niches of the exterior of the dome. They are all the work of the sculptor Leó Feszler
  • The tower houses a bell, weighing 9,144 kilogram (9 tons) . German Catholics funded it to compensate for the original bell, looted by the Nazis in 1944.
  • The massive door in the main portal has a decoration with carvings depicting the heads op the 12 Apostles.
  • The painting by Gyula Benczúr shows King István, left without an heir, dedicating Hungary to the Virgin Mary, who became Patrona Hungariae, the country’s patron.

Have A Drink In Fröccsterasz Wintergarden

Party in a former Budapest bus terminal

Fröccsterasz Wintergarden Budapest
Fröccsterasz Wintergarden Budapest

Bordering on Erzsébet Park and not far from the St. Stephen’s Basilica, this deserted bus station freshened up and now houses a trendy bar. Fröccsterasz Wintergarden still retains the original look of the building, with a clock-covered wall that gives time around the world. This quirky Biergarten, established as a “winter garden”, has become a major player on the Budapest night scene.

There you can have dinner and then dance all night to the sounds of concerts and DJ sets, depending on the line-up. When warmer days come, large terraces open up on each side of the station. With its outdoor bar and club, Fröccsterasz is one of the most popular night spots in the Hungarian capital.

Address Erzsébet tér 11-13, Budapest
Telephone +36 30 419 5040

Post Office Savings Bank Budapest

Postatakarék Pénztár

Post Office Savings Bank
Post Office Savings Bank Budapest

A masterpiece by Ödön Lechner, the former Post Office Savings Bank  is from 1900 – 1901. The Secession architect Lechner joined the curvilinear motifs of that style with motifs from Hungarian folk art to make a unique visual style for his work.

Approaching the Post Office Savings Bank, one can see glimpses of the details that have made this building one of Pest’s most unusual sights.

The construction methods, interior design and exterior detailing are remarkable. Lechner commissioned the tiles used in the design, including the vibrant roof tiles, from the Zsolnay factory. Floral tendrils and icons taken from nature decorate the facades.

The bees climbing up the gable walls represent the bank’s activity and the pinnacles, which look like hives, represent the accumulation of savings. These features intended to be accessible to the people who banked here. The building isn’t open to the public, but it’s possible to see the Cashiers’ Hall during office hours.

Address Hold utca 4, Budapest
Metro Kossuth Lajos tér

Ministry of Agriculture Budapest

Földmüvelésügyi Minisztérium

Ministry of Agriculture
Ministry of Agriculture Budapest

On the southeast side of Kossuth Square is the huge building of the Ministry of Agriculture, bordered by streets in all its four sides. Gyula Bukovics it at the end of the 19th century. The design of the facade is typical for late Historicism, drawing on Neo-Classical motifs.

The columns of the colonnade echo in the  fenestration above the well-proportioned windows. On the wall to the right of the building there are two commemorative plaques.

The first is in honor to the commanding officer of the Polish Legion, who was also a hero of the uprising in 1848-1849. Brigadier M. Woroniecki, famous for his bravery, was shot down at this spot by the Austrians in October 1849.

The second plaque honors Endre Ságvári, a Hungarian hero of the resistance movement, who died in the fighting against the Fascists in 1944. The two sculptures in front of the building are by Árpád Somogyi. The Reaper Lad dates from 1956 and the Female Agronomist from 1954.

Address Kossuth Lajos tér 11, Budapest
Metro Kossuth Lajos tér

Budapest Operetta Theater

Budapest Operetta Theater
Budapest Operetta Theater

Budapest has a good reputation for musical entertainment, and its operetta scene is over 110 years old. Operettas were first staged on this site in the Orfeum Theater, designed in the Neo-Baroque style by the Viennese architects Fellner and Helmer, in 1898.

The impresario Singer-Somossy financed the project. In 1922, the American entrepreneur Ben Blumenthal redeveloped the building and opened the Capital Operetta Theater, which then specialized in the genre. After 1936, this theater became the only venue for operetta in Budapest.

The repertoire of the theater includes works of both international and Hungarian composers of this genre, including Imre Kálmán, Ferenc Lehár and Pál Ábrahám, who wrote the Csárdás Princess.

Address Nagymező u. 17, Budapest
Telephone +36 1 312 4866

Budapest Parliament Area – Poster Gallery

Budapest Poster Gallery
Budapest Poster Gallery

Just like Poland and the former Czechoslovakia are known for their graphic design and poster cultures, Hungary was also built on images and typography. The Budapest Poster Gallery brings together a rare collection of posters from the late 19th to the 20th centuries.

Like snapshots through time, they offer a reading of the history of the country via their drawings and colors. The golden age of Art Nouveau contrasts with the ‘commercial’ propaganda posters and advertisements extolling the unbranded (‘shoe store shoes’ or ‘cheap, fashionable and good quality clothes’). You will find little lightweight treasures that are easy to slip into a suitcase at reasonable prices. To plan a visit, you simply have to contact the gallery by phone.

Address Paulay Ede utca 20, Budapest
Telephone +36 30 662 7274

 

Getting Around In Budapest

Hop-on Hop-off Bus Budapest

 

Hop on Hop off Bus Prague
Hop on Hop off Bus Prague

Big Bus Tours offers sightseeing tours of Budapest on a double-decker bus or a single-decker bus across our two routes. During your tour, you can listen to our complimentary, pre-recorded commentary available in 24 languages to learn fascinating facts and stories about Budapest.

You can hop on and hop off the bus at any stop to visit attractions and places of interest, or you’re welcome to sit back and relax for the entire tour!

 

How To Get To Budapest Hungary

Find Cheap Flights To Budapest Airport Hungary

Budapest Parliament Map Area


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