Hungarian Parliament Visit

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Day 9 - Fri. Sept. 30 - Budapest



After a leisurely breakfast I went for a short walk to deliver some books that Brooke and I had finished, to the book exchange located at the nearby Starbucks. There was no need to continue carrying them in our luggage.



Today we had purchased tickets online for an English language tour of the Hungarian Parliament building scheduled for noon. We walked over to the Parliament and down to the underground Visitor Center where we waited for our turn to proceed through the airport type security check. Once we had been cleared through the security check we picked up a audio headset so we could hear our guide, since several tours in other languages were being conducted at the same time.



After our group had assembled we proceeded to climb four stories up an elaborately decorated gold-plated staircase to the main floor. Those who felt they could not do the climb were offered the opportunity to use the elevator. After ascending the stairs we proceeded along beautifully decorated corridors and came to the stunning 32-meter long and more than 20-meter tall elaborate stairway. The Prime Minister, the President and Royal visitors are the only ones to use this stairway.



After our photo stop overlooking the stairway we turned around and entered the Dome Hall. Here the Holy Crown of Hungary is found along with the coronation regalia: the orb, the scepter and the king’s sword. Two personnel from the Hungarian Defence Force who are referred to as the Crown Guard protect the regalia. These Guardsmen also carry out guard duties on Kossuth Square at the base of the flagpole, which bears the national flag.



Leaving the dome we proceeded into the northern parlour where colourful statues of individuals from different crafts and disciplines surround the pillars along the edges of the room. The large columns are unique in that they look like marble but in fact are only plaster which have been given a faux finish painted to look like marble. Real marble was not used due to the weight the pillars would have exerted on the building’s structure. It was also pointed out that the carpet under foot was woven as one continuous piece.



Along the corridor the guide pointed out brass trays, found at the legislative doors and on windowsills. These trays were ashtrays that had numerous grooves in them, which were used to hold lit cigars, since the legislators were not allowed to smoke in the legislative chamber.



We were allowed to view the legislative chamber from one of the visitor galleries. The chamber itself is decorated with gold-plated ornaments, elaborate details and historic paintings. The coats of arms of the Hungarian dynasties and two immense frescoes are mounted on the wall behind the Speaker’s podium. One of the frescoes depicts the promulgation of the Golden Bull of 1222, which parallels the Magna Carta, when the King surrendered a portion of his power to the nobles. The second fresco depicts the 1741 Pozsony Diet where Hungarian noblemen pledged their loyalty to Empress Maria Theresa in the war.



Our final stop of the tour was in an underground glass roof hall, where there is a 1:100 scale model of the House of Parliament along with the architectural record of how the building was constructed.





After our tour we walked back to the apartment for a meeting with George, our landlord, who had just returned to Budapest after leading another tour. We had a lovely visit over coffee and lunch.

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