Yesterday the day we had all marked on our calendars finally arrived- we got to go to the Hungarian Parliament. The building is one of a kind and it is one of the main attractions of the city, so I and the rest of the gang were exited to finally get a chance to see the inside of the building. We had to clear several security checkpoints but luckily all of us checked out (even Nellie and Sara who both are in this country illegally), and we entered the building. The building was just as impressive from the inside as it is from the outside, and it was truly a one of a kind experience. Although I didn’t fulfill my lifelong dream of meeting Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban, there are luckily still a few weeks left in the trip so I’m holding my breath!
I'm not giving up Victor! I'm going to meet you before I leave!
The inside of the building was incredible. Every inch of the interior was carefully designed and there wasn’t one part of the building that wasn’t breathtaking. The windows were hand-stained, the pillars holding up the building were made from hand-carved granite, and the ceilings were painted with artwork depicting significant points in Hungarian history. We were taken on tour from an amiable Hungarian woman who explained to us the ins and outs of the building, and gave us a sense of the history and importance of the building. She explained how the height of the building was 96 meters, and that the number of steps leading to the rotunda was 96. This was done to commemorate the founding of Hungary by Arpad, the leader of the Magyars, in the year 896.
The Hungairan Parliament
After we walked up the exhausting 96 steps we reached the rotunda, which is located inside the dome of the building. In the center of the Rotunda was the Hungarian Holy Crown, which is one of the most famous symbols in all of Hungary. Things such as bridges, streetlights, and even subways in Budapest are adorned with a picture of the crown. The crown was first worn by the founder of the Hungary and the first King of Hungary St. Stephen, who was crowned in the early parts of the eleventh century. No King was considered legitimate unless they were crowned with the holy crown, and it remained a fixture of Hungarian royalty and power for the better part of one thousand years. During the turmoil of the twentieth century there no longer Hungarian kings, and the crown was hidden during various hardships to prevent and possible damages. When the communist regime fell in 1989, the crown was once again brought back to Parliament as a symbol of Hungarian nationalism. For many it is a source of great admiration and honor to see the crown, yet others (such as Professor Lasslo Varadi), feel it is wrong to have a crown as the focal point of a building that houses a democratic government.
The Hungarian Holy Crown looking prettay prettay prettay good
After viewing the crown we were given the opportunity to sit on a Parliamentary session in one the chambers of the building, which was special for me because it was the first time I had ever seen “government in action”. Although the session was in Hungarian, it was still really interesting and a cool experience. Overall, I really enjoyed Parliament; it was clearly one of those moments that reminded me how lucky I am to be studying abroad in Europe!
ALEX, yet another fantastic blog post. Every week gets better and better. I enjoyed your analysis of the field trip to Parliament. I think my favorite part was getting to see the giant granite beams that are inside. I still have no idea how workers were able to put those up without the modern day technology we have today. I would also like to comment on the beautiful picture you posted of the crown. Listening to the history of the crown from the Hungarian lady was insightful. Can't wait to read next weeks!!
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