The 19th century Parliament Building is situated at Pest's riverbank. The magnificent structure is a symbol of Hungary's independence.
After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise in 1867, in which a
dual monarchy was created, Hungary received more independence
and the country wrote its own constitution. It also
initiated the development of a parliament building.
A competition for this project,

officially
started by the emperor Franz Joseph and prime minister
Kálmán Tisza. The design of Imre Steindl, in a neo-gothic
style inspired by the
Houses of Parliament in
London was chosen.
The Parliament or Országház was built between

1885 and
1902, at the time the largest parliamentary building
in the world. The building has a length of 268 meters
and is 118 meters wide. The parliament house contains
more than 20 km staircase, and 691 rooms. The elegant
dome has a height of 69 meters.
The main style of the building is neo-gothic with renaissance
influences, but the base ground plan is Baroque. A strong
Byzantine influence is noticeable in the interior of
the building, especially in the marvelously decorated
staircase hall.
The monumental Parliament gives a good counterweight
to the
Buda Castle on the
opposite bank of the river Danube.