Hungarian Parliament Building Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Hungarian Parliament Building
Országház
The main façade as seen from the Danube
General information
Type	Parliament
Architectural style	Gothic Revival, baroque, renaissance
Location	Budapest, Hungary
Coordinates	47°30′25″N 19°02′44″E / 47.50694°N 19.04556°E / 47.50694; 19.04556
Current tenants	National Assembly of Hungary
Groundbreaking	1885
Completed	1904
Height	96 m (315 ft)
Dimensions
Other dimensions	Width: 123 m (404 ft) Length: 268 m (879 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	4
Floor area	18,000 m² (193,800 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators	13
Design and construction
Architect	Imre Steindl
Other information
Number of rooms	691

UNESCO World Heritage Site
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Budapest, including the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and Andrássy Avenue
Criteria	Cultural: ii, iv
Inscription	2002 (26th Session)
Area	473.3 ha
Buffer zone	493.8 ha

The Hungarian Parliament Building is a very important and famous building in Budapest, Hungary. It is also called the Parliament of Budapest or Országház, which means "House of the Nation". This huge building is where the National Assembly of Hungary (the country's main law-making group) meets. It is one of Hungary's most well-known places and many tourists visit it.

You can find the Parliament Building on Kossuth Square, on the eastern side of the Danube River. It was designed by a Hungarian architect named Imre Steindl. He created it in a style called neo-Gothic. The building first opened in 1902. Since it was finished, it has been the largest building in all of Hungary.

History of the Parliament Building
- Building it Big
Cool Features of the Building
Visiting the Parliament and Nearby Areas
Gallery
- Interior
- Exterior
- Stamps
See also

History of the Parliament Building

Parliament Building in 1905

In 1873, three cities – Buda, Óbuda, and Pest – joined together to form Budapest. Seven years later, the country's leaders decided they needed a new, grand parliament building. This building would show that Hungary was a strong and independent nation. They planned for it to face the Danube River.

There was a big competition to choose the best design. Imre Steindl won this competition. The building started to be built in 1885. It was partly opened in 1896 to celebrate Hungary's 1,000th birthday. However, the building was not fully finished until 1904. Sadly, the architect, Imre Steindl, became blind and passed away before his amazing building was completed.

Building it Big

Building the Parliament was a huge job! About 100,000 people worked on it. They used 40 million bricks, half a million precious stones, and 40 kilograms (about 88 pounds) of gold.

After World War II, Hungary's government changed. Now, only one main group of lawmakers meets there. Today, the government uses only a small part of the building. For a time, a red star was on top of the dome. This star was removed in 1990 when communism ended in Hungary. On October 23, 1989, a leader named Mátyás Szűrös announced the new Hungarian Republic from a balcony of the building.

Cool Features of the Building

Court yard side of the Budapest Parliament Building at night.

The Parliament Building looks like a Gothic Revival castle. It has a balanced design with a main front and a big dome in the middle. The dome itself is in a style called Renaissance Revival architecture. Inside, the building is also very balanced. It has two identical halls for meetings. One of these halls is still used today by the Hungarian National Assembly. The other hall is used for special events, meetings, and tours.

Size and Design

The building is 268 meters (879 feet) long and 123 meters (404 feet) wide. Inside, it has:

10 courtyards
13 elevators for people and goods
27 gates
29 staircases
691 rooms (more than 200 of these are offices!)

The Parliament Building is 96 meters (315 feet) tall. For a long time, it was one of the two tallest buildings in Budapest. The number 96 is special because it refers to the year 1896. This was the 1,000th anniversary of Hungary's founding.

Outside and Inside Art

The main front of the building faces the River Danube. But the official main entrance is on the east side, from the square. All over the building, both inside and out, there are 242 sculptures. On the outside, you can see statues of old Hungarian rulers, leaders from Transylvania, and famous military heroes. The coats of arms (special symbols) of kings and dukes are above the windows. Two lion statues guard the eastern staircase.

When you go inside, you walk up grand, fancy stairs. You can see beautiful paintings called frescoes on the ceiling. There is also a statue of the architect, Imre Steindl, in a wall space. Other statues include those of Árpád, Stephen I, and John Hunyadi. The building also has amazing stained glass and glass mosaics made by an artist named Miksa Róth.

The Central Hall and Crown

One of the most famous parts of the building is the central hall. It has 16 sides! Huge rooms are connected to it: the Lower House and the Upper House. Today, the National Assembly of Hungary meets in the Lower House. The Upper House is used for conferences and meetings.

Since the year 2000, the Holy Crown of Hungary has been shown in the central hall. This crown is very important to Hungary and is even on the country's coat of arms of Hungary. Because the building is so big and has so many detailed parts, it is almost always being repaired or cleaned.

Visiting the Parliament and Nearby Areas

The Parliament Building is easy to reach. You can take Line 2 of the Budapest Metro or tram line 2 to the Kossuth Lajos Square station.

Right in front of the building, on the east side, there are several memorials. You can see a memorial for the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. There is also a large Kossuth Memorial and a statue of Francis II Rákóczi on a horse. A statue of the poet Attila József sits on the south lawn, inspired by his poem By the Danube. Next to Kossuth Square is Martyrs' Square, with a statue of Imre Nagy.