Parliament

One of the main motifs and spectacle of Budapest, is the Parliament found on Kossuth Lajos tér (Kossuth Square) of Pest, designed by Imre Steindl in a historic eclectic fashion that mixes the styles of different time periods. Gyula Illyés, the famous Hungarian writer once said that the parliament best resembles a mix of a Turkish bath and a gothic temple. Its building process lasted from 1885 to 1904 as the largest investment of that time, however the building can rarely be seen without some part of it being repaired. The building gives home to the Hungarian Parliament and some of its accompanying institutions, such as the Parliamentary Library (Országgyűlési Könyvtár). Guided visits to the Parliament are organized every half an hour, during which one may see among others, the Hungarian Saint Crown (Magyar Szent Korona) along with the coronation jewellery. Right across the main entrance to the Parliament, is the Museum of Ethnography (Néprajzi Múzeum).