Hungarian Parliament

The Hungarian Parliament building was only 2 short blocks from my B&B in Budapest Hungary so I passed it every day several times, and could never... more

by Joan Carroll

Title

Hungarian Parliament

Artist

Joan Carroll

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photograph

Description

The Hungarian Parliament building was only 2 short blocks from my B&B in Budapest Hungary so I passed it every day several times, and could never resist stopping to take some photos! On this particular day, I had to wait about an hour for my scheduled tour of the interior to begin. Yes, you DO have to be on a tour to see the inside and yes, you DO have to plan ahead! I was lucky to arrive early and only have to wait an hour. By the time my tour began, people buying tickets for the English tour had to wait until well in the afternoon for their scheduled time. Construction on this building started in 1885 and the building was inaugurated on the 1000th anniversary of the country in 1896. About one thousand people were involved in construction, during which 40 million bricks, half a million precious stones and 40 kilograms (88 lb) of gold were used. Inside the building there are 10 courtyards, 13 passenger and freight elevators, 27 gates, 29 staircases and 691 rooms. It reaches a height of 96 m (315 ft), making it one of the two tallest buildings in Budapest with the other being Saint Stephen's Basilica. With all this magnificence, the piece de resistance of the interior is the Crown of St Stephen located in the hexadecagonal (16-sided, a new word for me!) central hall under the massive dome. This was the coronation crown used by the Kingdom of Hungary for most of its existence and in Hungarian history over 50 kings were crowned with it. The Holy Crown of Hungary, like all European Christian crowns symbolizes a halo and designates the wearer as a ruler by divine right. The grand staircase and assembly hall are also highlights of the tour. Cameras are allowed, but no flash and no tripod so you are stuck with high ISO shooting! I guess that's why you exit through the gift shop and buy some postcards. The Hungarian Parliament is part of the UNESCO World Heritage area in Budapest.

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Uploaded

November 2nd, 2014