The Parliament had had numerous seats during the past millennium when the idea came in the second half of the 1800’s that it should be moved to Pest-Buda as the city was called at the time.
The tender in 1882 was won by Imre Steindl, whose plan was born under the egis of historic eclectics, with a baroque delineation, baroque measures and neo-Gothic style regarding its details. Its style with its richly ornamented walls covered by decorative stones that form a stone lace when looked at from a distance can be linked to the Gothic Revival started at the 1830’s in England. This was the style in which the Parliament in London was also built. The Hungarian architect was not scared of innovations: He placed a dome in the focus of his creation, an element virtually unknown in Gothic style. The main façade is from the riverside, while the official entrance opens from Kossuth square. There are altogether 242 statues inside and on the building, the walls and ceilings are decorated by frescos and paintings of significant artists. The Holy Crown and the other Crown jewels (except for the royal mantle) are kept and exhibited in the Parliament. Other things to see here:
Decorative staircase hall, dome foyer, Glass paintings and mosaics made by Miksa Róth, and paintings by Hungarian painters. Some impressive numbers: its floorspace is 18 000 m2, it has 27 gates, 29 stairhalls within, 13 elevators, over 200 offices.