Hungary’s most famous building – The House of Parliament

by Eszter | October 30, 2024 | Places

The Parliament building holds significant symbolism for every nation, as it’s where the laws that shape the country’s future are made. While not every parliamentary building gains global recognition, some – like the U.S. Capitol in Washington, the Palace of Westminster in London, the Bundestag in Berlin, and the Hungarian Parliament in Budapest – stand out as internationally famous landmarks. The Budapest Parliament, in particular, is one of Hungary’s most iconic buildings.

The Hungarian Parliament – photo: Pixabay / Walkerssk

Although it’s just a myth that Freddie Mercury, the singer of Queen, wanted to purchase the building (he was actually joking when he saw it from a boat on the Danube), the fact remains that the building, designed by Imre Steindl, is a must-see for anyone visiting Budapest. The House of Parliament, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987 as part of the Banks of the Danube, attracts more than 700,000 visitors each year. It’s the third largest national assembly building in the world as well as the tallest building, along with the St. Stephen’s Basilic, in Budapest.

The Országház, which translates to the House of the Nation, is not only a museum, but it’s also a functioning lawmaking body providing a work place for over 800 people. The House of Parliament is the seat of the Hungarian National Assembly and holds regular debates, including those attended by the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. Inside, there are offices, chambers, a post office and a library. A hairdresser and a doctor also work there.

The masterpiece of Imre Steindl

The idea of building a dedicated structure for the National Assembly was seriously considered as early as 1830, but it wasn’t until five decades later that the plan was finally realized. The competition for a permanent building finally got underway in 1880, with the official call for designs being issued in 1882. The submission deadline was set for February 1, 1883.

In total, 19 designs were submitted by the deadline – although one was late and not considered. Most entries came from well-known Hungarian and Austrian architects. Notably, Otto Wagner, the designer of the Rumbach Street Synagogue and many of Vienna’s iconic Stadtbahn stations, entered the competition. Another prominent contender was Alajos Hauszmann, who designed several significant buildings in Budapest, such as the New York Palace, the Ethnographic Museum, and parts of the Buda Castle. The competition also included Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer, who designed numerous famous theaters in Hungary, such as the Vígszínház and the Budapest Operetta Theatre.

The competition results were announced on April 22, 1883, but the jury, composed of notable figures like Miklós Ybl and Gyula Pártos, found that none of the designs could be accepted without revisions. Imre Steindl’s neo-Gothic design ultimately won, though it stirred controversy. Many argued that the neo-Gothic style had no real historical connection to Hungary.

Not all of the 19 submitted design competition entries have survived, but those that have stood the test of time can still be viewed on the National Archives’ website. Additionally, a video on the Országház Film Studio’s YouTube channel presents more of them, featuring visual designs transformed into 3D.

However, after several adjustments, it was chosen as the final design. The revisions included an additional floor, the addition of two main towers, and the replacement of domes with sharper spires over the chambers. The final building stretched 268 meters in length (up from 260 meters) and 123 meters in width (up from 115 meters). The House of Parliament combines the attributes of Gothic Revival and Renaissance Revival architecture, complemented by a touch of Baroque.

In recognition of his efforts, Steindl was awarded 5,000 forints for his competition entry, and his total compensation for overseeing the construction of the building amounted to 450,000 forints, which was about 4.7% of the total project cost.

Construction began in 1885 and the building was inaugurated in 1896 when Hungary celebrated its 1000th anniversary. The building of the Parliament was completed in 1902 and unfortunately, Imre Steindl was unable to appreciate his finished masterwork. He lost his sight and just weeks before the building was fully completed, he passed away. Inner works and decoration took further two years to be finalized.

The Chamber of Peers – photo: Wikimedia / Nan Palmero

The size of the Parliament can be demonstrated by some astonishing figures:

The Parliament’s side parallel to the Danube is 268 meters long and the building is 123 meters at its widest point. The tower of the dome is 96 meters high.
It covers 18 000 square meters.
40 million bricks were used for the construction.
More than 500 000 decorative carved stones were used to cover the Gothic walls of the Parliament.
90 statues adorn the facade and there are further 152 sculptures inside.
The interior was decorated using 40 kilograms of 22-23 carat gold, including gold leaves.
The House of Parliament has 10 courtyards, 13 passenger and freight elevators, 27 entrances, 29 staircases and 691 rooms (which include more than 200 offices).
The total lenght of the red carpet is almost 3 kilometers.
365 towers are incorporated throughout the building, one for each day of the year.

Symbols in design

Imre Steindl designed the building in such a way that each part conveyed political and historical messages. The Hungarian National Assembly was originally a bicameral system, so the dome in the middle referred to the unity of the legislature, and it was also the site of the joint sittings of the Lower House and the Upper House.

The dome’s height (96 m) symbolizes the year of the Hungarian Conquest of the Carpathian Basin (896) and the nation’s millenium (1896). The number 96 is also reflects in the number of the main stairs’ steps: 96 steps lead up to the dome hall. On both sides of the dome are the lower and upper house chambers, which are exactly the same design, symbolically suggesting that the two houses had equal rights.

The Grand Stairway – photo: Wikimedia / Nan Palmero

During the construction, as part of the agreement, it was required to use only Hungarian raw materials, involve Hungarian manufacturers and craftsmen, and decorate the interior with floral motifs indigenous to the Carpathian Basin. The exceptions to this were the eight, four-ton granite columns of the Grand Stairway that were imported from abroad, and of which only 12 can be found in the world today: eight are in the House of Parliament, while the other four are in Britain.

The impressive interiors of the Hungarian Parliament were filled not only with decorative pieces, but also with finely crafted, functional items that showcase exceptional applied arts. To enhance the beauty of the building, especially in the inner courtyards, many ceramic elements were installed. A few people know that Zsolnay ceramics are also present in the Hungarian Parliament building. Imre Steindl was a close friend of Vilmos Zsolnay, and he commissioned Zsolnay to provide ceramic tiles to line the courtyard walls. Additionally, the Lounge of the Chamber of Peers features pyrogranite statues crafted by the Zsolnay porcelain factory.

For lighting, custom-made candelabras, wall sconces, and chandeliers were added, along with an array of metal ornaments and fixtures. Large, elaborate carpets – the largest of their kind at the time – were laid as decorative flooring: red runners lined the corridors, while intricately knotted carpets inspired by Eastern designs, made in Hungarian workshops, were placed in ceremonial halls and prestigious office spaces.

Traces of the wars

The building of the Hungarian Parliament witnessed both World Wars and the revolution against the ruling communist regime in 1956. It was littered with bullet holes up until 2013, when its outside was renovated. However, some bullet holes can still be seen as a wartime memento because during the renovation the contractors chose not to repair a few square meters around a window on the Kossuth Lajos square side.

The stained glass windows and glass mosaics made by the Hungarian glass painter and mosaic artist Miksa Róth survived World War II, as they had been removed before bombing and were stored in sand beds in the basement. One of the bronze lion statues guarding the entrance was not so lucky, it was destroyed during the Second World War, but it was replaced by József Somogyi, and stands on the right-hand side as you face the entrance. The lion on the left is the original work of sculptor Béla Markup.

Unique heating and ventilation system

One of the Parliament’s curiosities is that there’s no chimney on the roof. The reason is that the Parliament houses a sophisticated heating and cooling system, which was the most modern in Europe at the time of its creation and caused a sensation. The building is heated with hot steam provided by a boiler situated in a nearby building, which pumps steam through pipes into the Parliament, and hot air is delivered via underground tunnels.

The cooling system also worked by using the underground tunnels and chambers. Air flowed from the Kossuth square through two pool fountains into the underground tunnels, and by the time it reached the inside, it cooled down just to the right temperature. Air flow intensity and direction was regulated by vents, which were installed in 1885 and are still fully functional. After the fountains had been demolished, from the 1930s to 1994 several tons of ice were stored in the tunnels to cool down the building.

Guided tours

Though the Hungarian Parliament is the workplace of the National Assembly, it can also be visited by tourists. Guided tours are held almost every day throughout the year. The roughly 45-minute tour departs from the Visitor Center and guides through the most decorative rooms of the Parliament. The rooms you will see:

The City Side Staircase XVII: a gold-plated corridor full of paintings and statues, which leads to the main floor.
The Chamber of Peers: today the Upper House is used as a conference and meeting room, and it’s also open to visitors. Its design corresponds to the interior of the Lower House where the sittings take place. The main wall displays painted coats of arms of Hungary’s royal families.
The Lounge of the Chamber of Peers: you can admire Europe’s largest hand-knotted carpet and the pyrogranite Zsolnay statues evoking Hungarian ethnic groups and trades.
The Dome Hall: you can have a look at the Holy Crown, the orb and the scepter, which have been kept safe here since 2000. They are guarded 24 hours per day and 365 days per year by specially trained soldiers.
The Grand Stairway: the tour ends in the Grand Stairway, which is adorned by the paintings of Károly Lotz and the stained glass windows by Miksa Róth. It’s also a home to the eight granite columns mentioned above.