Parliament House

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.