A parliament for a new capital

Buda, Óbuda and Pest were united as a single city in 1873, and the new capital needed a building worthy of a nation that saw itself as an equal partner within Austria-Hungary. In 1880 the Diet decided to build a permanent home for the legislature on the Pest bank of the Danube, facing Buda Castle.

Imre Steindl’s design

An international design competition was held in 1882. The winning entry came from Imre Steindl, a professor at the Budapest Technical University, whose plan combined a Gothic Revival exterior with a symmetrical, Renaissance-inspired layout. The two chambers of the Diet sit in matching wings on either side of the central Dome Hall.

Steindl drew on the Houses of Parliament in London, but the Budapest building is very much its own: the long river façade, the rhythm of spires and the great ribbed dome give it one of the most recognisable silhouettes in Europe.

Construction

The height of the dome, 96 metres, is a deliberate reference to 896, the traditional date of the Hungarian conquest, and to the millennium year 1896. Around 40 kilograms of gold leaf were used in the decoration of the interior.

Art and decoration

The interior brought together the leading Hungarian artists and craftsmen of the period. Károly Lotz painted the ceiling frescoes of the Main Staircase, Miksa Róth created the stained glass windows, and the Zsolnay factory in Pécs supplied ceramic ornaments. The façades carry statues of Hungarian rulers, military leaders and coats of arms.

The building today

The legislature was bicameral until 1945. Since then Hungary has had a single-chamber National Assembly, which sits in the former House of Representatives. The old Upper House chamber is used for conferences and ceremonial occasions and is part of the visitor route.

In the Dome Hall, the Holy Crown, the sceptre, the orb and the coronation sword are guarded day and night by the Crown Guard. Seeing them is one of the highlights of the guided tour.