4 days in Budapest-07/21-7/24/2018

Day 3- Parliament building-7-23-2018

The Parliament in Budapest is one of the most iconic shots of Budapest in a brightly lit building at the bank of the Danube.

The Hungarian Parliament Building, Országház in Hungarian is also known as the Parliament of Budapest.

It is the seat of the National Assembly of Hungary and it is one of the most recognizable landmark of Hungary

 

This is the view of the Parliament from the Pest side.

Ranked among top 15 landmarks, this architectural marvel proved more popular than London's Big Ben, Athens' ancient Acropolis and Paris' Notre-Dame Cathedral in its 2017 Traveler's Choice Awards.

Attracting nearly 700,000 visitors each year, Hungary's Parliament building is one of the busiest and most intriguing tourist destinations in Europe, with more than a hundred years of history behind it.

 

Located in the Kossuth Lajos Square in the Pest side of the city, on the eastern bank of the Danube.

It was designed by Hungarian architect Imre Steindl in neo-Gothic style and opened in 1902. It has been the largest building in Hungary since its completion.

 

The main entrance is flanked by two bronze lion statues.

 

Close view of the lion statues.

 

 While the main/front facing façade overlooks the River Danube, nowadays the official main entrance is positioned on Kossuth Lajos Square, which is effectively the back of the building

 

It's one of the tallest buildings in Budapest as well as the third largest national assembly building in the world.

Inside and outside, there are altogether 242 sculptures on the walls. The façade displays statues of Hungarian rulers, Transylvanian leaders and famous military figures. The coats of arms of kings and dukes are depicted over the windows.

 

In the main Kossuth Lajos Square sits a spectacular equestrian statue of Hungarian leader Francis II Rákóczi

 

An equestrian statue depicts a military-garbed Magyar man gracefully sitting on horseback atop a granite pedestal, bearing a sword by his side; portraying Francis II Rákóczi, the Hungarian nobleman leading the national uprising against the Habsburg regimen in 1703-11 and thus honored national hero of Hungary.

 

 

The Parliament Building is built in the Gothic Revival style; it has a symmetrical façade and a central dome. The dome is Renaissance Revival architecture. Its interior includes 10 courtyards, 13 passengers and freight elevators, 27 gates, 29 staircases and 691 rooms (which includes more than 200 offices). With its height of 96 m (315 ft.), it is one of the two tallest buildings in Budapest, along with Saint Stephen's Basilica. The number 96 refers to the nation's millennium, 1896, and the conquest of the later Kingdom of Hungary in 896.


Monument to Lajos Kossuth (1802–94), Hungarian statesman and patriot. He led the 1848 insurrection against the Hapsburgs, but after brief success the uprising was crushed and he began a lifelong period of exile. The building behind still shows bullet mark from that time.

 

Clove view of the monument.

 

We are now entering the Parliament.  The first thing you see is gold everywhere and an ornate tall ceiling.

 

It is very impressive.

 

Everyone is looking up and taking pictures...

 

Our guide and a security are leading us to a long corridor..

 

They went all out with decorating the parliament.  Marble, gold, and so many statues adorning the top of each door.

 


 

ceiling with intricate design.

 

made by sculptor László Mátyássy. The artwork is very different from other Virgin Mary statues found in Hungary. It depicts Mary and the child Jesus, but the child is hovering in front of his mother’s body, so depicting the mystery and the wonder of the immaculate conception.

Read more at: https://dailynewshungary.com/4-meter-high-virgin-mary-statue-has-been-erected-on-the-wall-of-buda-castle/

More corridors....

 

The Grand Stairway is the nicest, widest and most decorated  and it used to be the royal staircase.

Within the Grand Stairway there are eight, four-ton granite columns.

There are 96 stairs on the main staircase, a nod to the year of the settlement of Hungary.

 

The lavish building was decorated using more than 88 lbs. of gold and including gold leaves and most of the gold can be seen in many areas such as the staircases and intricate ceiling designs.

 

The building was designed with numbers in mind.  Steindl cleverly incorporated key numerical fasts within its structure to illustrate the importance of its construction

The dome of the parliament is 96 meter high, which symbolizes the year of the settlement of Hungary in 1896. There are also 96 steps on the main staircase, which take visitors up to a magnificent hallway and finally, 365 towers are incorporated throughout the building, one for each day of the year.

 

So lavish..and gold are to be seen every where...

 

The lavish decor incorporates Gothic Revival and Renaissance Revival architecture.

 

Large stained glass windows.

Column decorated with statue of folklore folks.

 

Meeting room-can be any more lavish than this.  It is really breathtaking.

 

Wooden gate leading to the entrance of parliament chamber.

 

Seating in the parliament.

 

 

 

Decorative ceiling and archway inside the parliament chamber.

 

This the Central dome-simply gorgeous!

 

The Holy Crown of Hungary is in the center in a glass case and it is guarded 24/7.

 

The Holy Crown of Hungary, also known as the Crown of Saint Stephen (Szent Korona), was the coronation crown used by the Kingdom of Hungary for most of its existence. Since 2000, this Holy Crown has been on display for visitors to see in the central Domed Hall of the Hungarian Parliament.

 

 

Next....Shoes on the Danube

 

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