Parliament building in Budapest (Hungary) - 96 meter high symbol of Hungary

The reason for the building was the merger in 1873, three Hungarian cities - Buda, Óbudy and Pest in one city - Budapest. At that time, the authorities recognized that the new capital needed a new, representative residence.

The construction was entrusted to the winner of the international competition, which was Imre Steindl. In 1885, work began according to his design, which was partly modeled on the British parliament.

1000 people worked on the construction site, 40 kilograms (22-23 carats) gold were used, 500,000 precious stones and 40 million bricks.

Total construction cost was twice as high as originally planned, because the construction was erected on marshy ground on the Danube river, which had to be dried and transported timber.

The building of the Hungarian parliament, at 96 meters high, is the second tallest building in Hungary, only 4 meters higher is the Basilica in Ostrzyhom. The Parliament of Budapest is also the third largest parliament in the world.

In Budapest there is the Basilica of Saint. Stephen, who has exactly the same height as the Parliament - 96 meters, is a deliberate action to show a balance in the life between religion and the state.

The building occupies 18,000 square meters of space, and 473,000 cubic meters of space.

The building has 691 rooms (over 200 offices), 29 staircases (their total length is 20 kilometers), 13 elevators, 27 entrances and 10 courtyards .

Despite such a massive construction, the route visited by tourists is passed in only 45 minutes, because it covers only a few areas, ie main stairs, main lobby, one corridor, The House of Lords and the section in which the Crown Jewels are located.

Hungarian crown jewels have been stolen many times. After the Second World War, they were transported to Western Europe and handed over to the US Army for safekeeping before the Soviet Union. For many years they were kept in Fort Knox, Kentucky along with American gold reserves. They returned to Hungary in 1978 during the presidency of Jimmy Carter.

The building is symmetrically constructed, its identical wings served the rooms of the Sejm and Senate, similar division is in Capitol in Washington . In the huge central dome, decorated with 16 statues of Hungarian kings and rulers (there are 233 statues in total), joint gatherings took place.

Since 1945, when the Hungarian political system was changed, the building houses only the parliament, which occupies one wing, the other is open to visitors. The largest rooms of the building are the former Lower Chamber (today's National Assembly) and the former Upper House (acting as a representative conference room).

With excellent acoustics, the Chamber of Deputies is 25 meters long, 23 meters wide and 17 meters tall.

Parliament also has an extensive library with half a million books and documents in its collection along with a huge reading room on the ground floor.

The main entrance is located on the side of the beautiful Lajos Kossuth square, and from the side of the Danube there is a beautiful lace facade 125 meters long.