Visiting the Hungarian Parliament

   "The motherland does not have a house." Thus wrote bitterly
Mihály Vörösmarty, one of the greatest poets of the Hungarian heroic
age of bourgeois civilization, in 1846. Indeed, through the hundreds
of years that the grandsons of the conquering chieftain Árpád ruled
the country the diet didn't have a regular house. But there was no
need for it, as they - the prelates, the barons, the nobles and
the burghers - were "the country". Where they walked, judged, debated
- that was the "motherland".
   Since the time of St. Stephen, Hungary's legendary founder, the
greatest turn of the wheel in Hungarian history occurred in Vörösmarty's
generation - the Age of Reform and the Revolution of 1848
that followed. Spurred by economic need, social unrest and the
flowering of culture, the hundredthousands of privileged in society
and the millions in the lower classes coalesced into a historical
community, the Hungarian nation. And this nation, now being consciously
formed by the great men of the age - István Széchenyi,
Miklós Wesselényi, Ferenc Deák, Lajos Kossuth, Ferenc Kölcsey,
Sándor Petõfi -, was very much in need of a physical home. As a
counterweight to the royal palace rising high on Buda Hill, the Pest
side of the Danube was chosen to symbolize that Hungary's destiny
lay with popular democracy and not with royal whim.


The "House of the Motherland" Is Built

   Over the past thousand years the Hungarian diet has held its
sessions from Sopron to Szabolcs, from Besztercebánya to Szeged,
from Nagyszombat to Rákos field, and since the l8th century primarily
in Pozsony, today known as Bratislava. In July 1843, the reform
opposition tabled an old proposal that the legislature should be
moved to the new capital, Pest-Buda. In September a parliamentary
commission took the matter in hand, and after several fruitful discussions,
the future Minister himself, Gábor Klauzál, declared that "because
there is a place, the dream will become a reality". But in the
ensuing decades only design competitions were realized where often
not even prizes were awarded. By the time, forty years later, a law
concerning the construction of a parliament was finally passed, the
concept of parliament had changed dramatically. Not only was a
completely different physical home envisioned but the notion of
popular representation and the government responsible to it had a
completely different sound as well by the end of the century.
   The competition announced in 1882 was won by Imre Steindl [32k]
(1839-1902), a professor at the Technical University. Like others of
his generation he thought that problems in construction could be
most easily solved by combining old style elements with modern
technique in a relatively free manner. This combination of old with
new had been spreading through the arts since the Renaissance,
first manifesting itself in neoclassicism which drew upon the ancient
greek and roman styles, and later in romanticism which referred to
the architectural design of the middle- and early modern-ages.
Some artists strove for completely faithful reconstruction, by building
in a "pure" neoroman, neorenaissance or neobaroque style. Other artists
tried to mix the basic forms of the great periods, but the developing
eclecticism - with a few important exceptions - came to an impasse.
This sampling of historical architectural forms in time compromised
the integrity of the building, rendering it incapable of faithfully
representing human values or expressing a lasting message.
   The unanimous opinion of art historians and thousands of visitors
alike is that the Parliament [73k] designed by Imre Steindl is one of the happy
exceptions of historical eclecticism. The style of the exterior recalls
Gothic Revival, which developed in England in the 1830's. A foremost
example of this style is Ch. Barry's and A.W. Pugin's masterpiece,
the Parliament in London. Steindl too was unafraid to introduce new
elements where the functionality of the building required. For instance,
he introduced a form almost unknown in gothic, the dome, and placed it
at the core of his monumental work. Similarly, when organizing the
internal spaces he utilized principles borrowed from renaissance and
baroque - the greatest example being the main staircase which leads to
the dome. "I didn't want to create a new architectural style for the
Parliament," he confessed upon accepting his academic chair, "because
I couldn't balance a building that has to stand for hundreds of years
with ephemeral details. I have tried modestly and carefully, as is
required by art, to bring a national and unique spirit to this magnificent
medieval style."
   On 12 October 1885 ground was broken on the quay at Tömõ
square in the Lipót district. With an average of 1000 workers laboring
at any one time, the building took 17 years to complete. It was the
greatest investment of the time. Because the builders strove to use
- whenever possible - Hungarian materials, Hungarian techniques, and
Hungarian master craftsmen, entire industries flourished. The total cost
ballooned from 18.5 million to 38 million gold crowns. Around 176,000
cubicmeters of earth was moved and 40 million bricks were used.
In addition, more than half a million ornamental stones were carved for
the wall decorations. (Unfortunately, the soft limestone employed
quickly began to corrode and is now being constantly replaced by harder
stone.) The building is 268 m long, 123 m wide across the center,
has a dome 96 m high and covers 18,000 square meters of surface area
and 473,000 cubic meters of space. The building stands on a 2-5 m thick
gigantic concrete foundation. 90 statues and the coats-of-arms of
various cities and counties adorn the exterior while on the inner
walls can be found 152 statues [39k] and motives of national fauna. Nearly
40 kg of 22-23 karat gold was used for decorations.
   The building has 27 gates, 29 interior staircases and 13 personal
and service elevators. Around 50 five story apartment buildings could
fit into the Parliament which gives the vistor a notion of its size.
   Aesthetically the main facade faces the Danube, but the offical
main entrances lies on Kossuth square. The building with its
symmetrical structure conforms to the functions of a bicameral
parliament. Just like the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.,
the northern and southern wings of the building each serves one
house of the legislature. They are connected by an enormous
dome hall, which was once the site of unified sessions. Since the
end of World War II the building has also been the host of the
executive branch. The northern wing houses the offices of
the Prime Minister, while the southern wing contains those of the
Pesident of the Republic. And in the corner rooms of the northern
wing the Speaker of the Parliament has his offices.


The Main Staircase

   On either side of the exterior stairs tourists are welcome by the lion
statues of Béla Markup. Though the originals were destroyed in the
war, they were reformed by József Somogyi. Those touring Parliament,
however, enter though gate number XII on the corridor parallel
with the main facade, and proceed to the main interior staircase,
where they begin their tour of Parliament.
   The main staircase [91k] sweeping from the main entrance to the Dome
Hall is one of the most brilliant architectural creations of Steindl.
Extremely imposing are the dimensions of the main staircase occupying
nearly the entire width of the interior room from the landing to
the dome. Deservedly a bronze bust of the architect, cast by Alajos
Stróbl, was set into the left marble wall in 1904.
   Imre Steindl inherited a love of handicraft from his jeweler father.
When he was a student of Friedrich Schmidt - the outstanding
master of neogothic - in Vienna, he didn't forget his years of apprenticeship
as a mason. Even as a professor at the university he was not
ashamed to take trowel in hand to introduce his students to the
mysteries of art restoration.
   Of the columns supporting the ceiling of the main stair hall 8 stand
out. The deep red granite columns are 6 m in height and weight 4 tons
each. They originate from Sweden and all 8 were cut from the same cliff
face. Statues of pages, holding the coronation symbols, look down upon
the stairs. They are made from cast-zinc and, in a somewhat forced
fashion, are reminiscent of the mannerisms of painted gothic wooden
figures.
   On the ceiling three allegorical frescoes by Károly Lotz enable
the visitor to understand the concepts embodied by the hall. closest to the entrance
"The Apotheoses of the Legislation" can be seen. It depicts a thousand
years of the rule of law in Hungary. On the column rising
middle of the picture Hungary's most famous laws can be read. (It
is perhaps no accident that these laws begin with the Austrian-
Hungarian Compromise of 1867.) The ancient looking plinth is decorated
by a relief showing the blood compact of the seven ancient
tribal chiefs. In the hands of the figures appear the Hungarian crown
and the coat-of-arms.
   The subject of the second painting is the "Glorification of Hungary" [77k]
also containing unambiguous historical references. At the feet of the
woman holding the coat-of-arms is István Széchenyi on the left and
Petõfi Sándor on the right. Petõfi, posed as he is in the memorable
statue by Adolf Huszár, is leading an enthusiastic crowd who are
dressed is Hungarian clothing and waving Hungarian flags.
   The third picture shows the Hungarian "middle coat-of-arms" - the
unified heraldic symbol of Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia, Transylvania,
Fiume and Hungary - supported by angels.


The Dome Hall

   Reaching the top of the stairs, the visitor enters the Dome Hall
whose 16 corners amplify the sensation of space. It is true that the
inside ceiling [63k] is much lower than the outside cupola, but this
ingenious structure gives the feeling that this 27 m high round room
is imposingly high. This splendid hall is the structural and spiritual
heart of the building, and on occasion hosted the combined sessions
of both houses of Parliament. Together with the main entrance, this
was one of the first parts of the building to be finished, so that in 1896
Parliament could hold its festival session for the millenium celebrations.
   The statues and coats-of-arms of 16 rulers which are placed
around the interior of the Dome Hall provide the admiring visitor with
a brief history lesson. Opposite the main stairs the series starts with
the chieftain Árpád and proceeds clockwise with St. Stephen, St.
Ladislaus, Könyves Kálmán, András II, Béla IV, Louis the Great, János
Hunyadi and Mátyás Hunyadi. Then follows the Transylvanian
princes, István Báthory, lstván Bocskai, Gábor Bethlen. The final three
figures are Habsburg rulers, Charles IIl, Maria Theresa and Leopold II.
   These royal statues, as well as their companion pieces in the
longues, halls and corridors, are works of the most famous Hungarian
sculptures of the day. Besides the already mentioned cast-zinc,
pyrogranite was used - the latest curiosity from the Vilmos Zsolnay
ceramics factory in Pécs. Pyrogranite proved to be ideal for covering
exterior walls and it is on these that many of the stylized depictions
of the national flora appear. But as a basic material for statues - as
critics have noted for the last 90 years - it wasn't the most fortunate
choice. "Misshapen figures with parrot colors, misnamed statues,"
grunted Zoltán Pap, a deputy in 1902 who complained that the vivid
colors only emphasized the conventionality of their form. Besides the
material, a bigger problem was the boring monotonity of the modeling.
Although the criticism is not unfounded, the statues have been
from the very beginning special, indispensable components of the
atmosphere of "The House of the Motherland".
   Marble tablets at the sides of the columns in the Dome Hall
represent the national memory. These four marble tablets commemorate
the building of Parliament, the celebration of the millenium of
the conquest, details from St. Stephen's exhortations and perhaps as a
sort of compensation since as the leader of the most powerful
anti-Habsburg rebellion his place should have been among the rulers
- a dedication to the glorious memory of Ferenc Rákóczi II.


Rooms Around the Dome Hall

   Fascinating rooms surround the Dome Hall from the Danube side.
Opposite the main staircase is Hunter Nall, the great dining hall of
Parliament, decorated on the riverside by a colonnaded terrace. The
fresco on the southern wall, the portrayal of the two Hun brotherkings,
Buda and Attila, engaged in the princely pastime of bison
hunting. A work by Aladár Kõrösfõi-Kreisch, commemorates János
Arany's beautiful verse:

      "The cry of the hunt sounds in the valley
      Nowhere on land, nowhere in the sky
      Does a wild beast remain."

   Someone wishing to enjoy a more peaceful sight need merely to
turn to the northern side of the room where a fresco showing a fishing
party on Lake Balaton can be admired. This work, an outstanding
representative of the Hungarian secessionist style, depicts Tihany
Peninsula with the Benedictine Abbey. In the foreground the monks
directing the fishing net represent a thousand year old tradition of
Hungarian history - the silent workers underpinning civilization's
achievements.
   On the ceiling Viktor Tardos-Kenner painted the allegorical figures
of Reaping, Harves and Abundance. On the entrance wall Béla Spányi
painted five famous Hungarian castles. The first is in the center of
the Hunyadi ancestral estate - Vajdahunyad Castle; the next is Árva
Castle, recalling Thurzo and Thököly; in the middle is the Anjou and
Hunyadi castle at Visegrád (this is the only castle which is within
the borders of modern Hungary); then comes Klissa, a famous Dalmatian
fort of an order of German knights; and finally, Máté Csák's
citadel at Trencsén.
   From the corners of Hunter Hall two smaller rooms open out. The
southern room plays host to the deputies' cafeteria and the northern
- the Tapestry Room - houses press conferences. It was in the
1920's that the 9 X 3 meter tapestry which gives the room its name
was hung here. The tapestry, designed by Gyula Rudnay and completed in
two years by thirty weavers was inspired by the lines of
Anonymus, a chronicler at the court of King Béla. "The leader and
his nobles have made all the rules and laws of the country," he wrote.
"The place where all of these were done was named by the Hungarians
in their own tounge - Szeri, because there they proclaimed
all the things of the country." Even though it is more than likely that
the conquerors never actually held a session at Pusztaszer, the
ingenious explanation given by Anonymus for the name of this locality
is a perfect symbol for the birth of Hungarian constitutionalism.


The Deputy Council Chamber and the Lounge the Deputies

   As the visitor arrives from the main stairs and stops in the middle
of the Dome Hall, under the rose candelabra, she will have a magnificent
view of the functional structure of the building. The view through
the open doors at the end of both sides opens directly on to the
Speaker's lectern in each of the two session rooms. Since December
1944 the Hungarian legislature has been monocameral. As there is
only legislative body, the former session room of the Upper House
is now used for holding international conferences.
   Turning first to the southern side, the visitor comes upon the
Deputy Council Chamber, where the Hungarian legislature sits today.
On the way to the chamber the visitor must first cross the lounge [35k].
This room, instead of being the site for a fruitful exchange of views
between the deputies (these are held today mostly in the corridors),
is used by the press. The statues are allegorical symbols of the
technical sciences and a few important branches of industry and
commerce. Historians consider it a symptom of the cultural politics
of this period that, in the execution of the paintings in the Parliament,
a disproportionately large role was accorded to Zsigmond Vajda, who
was a painter of more modest talents. In this room some of his rather
crowded compositions depict images from the Hun-Magyar legendary world
- the Mythical Stag, Attila's Sword, Buda's Death and Emese's Dream.
   At the end of the lounge, on the other side of a short corridor, is
the Deputy Council Chamber [35k]. Through the ogive arch of windows
a gentle light shines evenly over the entire space of the most important
room in the building. (The room is 25 m deep, 23 m in length
and 17 m high at its extremes.) The warm brown of the Slavonian
oak, a deservedly famous building and decoration material, gives the
room its color.
   Inside the acoustically superb council chamber are 438 specially
designed leather chairs for the deputies, while the velvet-upholstered
seats in the inner circle are reserved for the ministers of the government.
The middle area opening off of the Speaker's lectern is slightly
recessed to accommodate a table for the shorthand writers. Formerly,
the junior-clerk of the Parliament placed here the summary of a 
thousand years of legislative activity - the volumes of the Corpus
Juris.
   The Speaker and the clerks sit on a platform which is raised for 
acoustical reasons. In the middle carving of the Speaker's lectern is
a bullethole, made when a pistol was fired at the Speaker, István Tisza,
who had been grossly violating the internal rules of the Parliament.
On 4 June 1912 a would-be assassin attempted to prevent Tisza from
pursuing illegal and violent measures aimed at bringing an end to the 
opposition's filibustering which was paralyzing the work of thf The House.
opposition felt that they needn't keep to the rules of parliamen- 
tary etiquette in the presence of a majority which had won the elections 
by manipulation. After his failed attempt the assailant turned the gun
against himself, and the unharmed Speaker continued the session.
   There were other equally dramatic moments in the Parliament from 
the breaking of furniture to the removal of deputies by the police. This 
is why "stormbells" were placed behind the Speaker's lectern on both 
sides. But it is not these horrible shrill bells which keep the peace but 
rather the lofty statues representing Harmony, Peace and Wisdom 
which calm the souls of the statesmen. But if truth be told, standing 
between these gilded figures are those of Glory, Eloquence and War.
   Above the Speaker's lectern is placed the middle coat-of-arms, 
while on either side of the actual lectern are tempera paintings by 
Zsigmond Vajda. The one on the left shows the symbolic birth of the 
Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy - the crowning as Hungarian king 
of Franz Joseph, the man who sent the martyrs of Arad to the gallows 
after putting down the Revolution of 1848. The other picture is much 
more important however. Here, too, there is a Habsburg - a cousin 
of Franz Joseph - but in a completely different role. The picture [45k] 
portrays a significant moment in Hungarian parliamentary history: 
Palatine István on 5 July 1848 opening the first session of the first 
Hungarian popular representative assembly.
   Of course, tendentious legend and romantic pipe-dreams maintain that 
the origins of the institution of parliament date back a thousand years 
to when the Magyar tribes first conquered the Carpathian basin. Current 
research has been able to determine with a high degree of certainty what
kind of institutions of his own time Anonymus, who was attempting to 
descrive events that occurred nearly 200 years before, introduced into 
his depiction of the blood compact as well as into his explanation for the 
place name, Pusztaszer (recall the Tapesty Room). In the history of the
Middle Ages numerous different types of national assemblies or gatherings 
can be found all over Europe. Of these the most important in 
Hungary as well - was the royal council governing the early feudal state. The 
make-up of these powerful judicial and governmental assembly sessions 
was gradually broadened to include not just the prelates and barons but in
some way or another representatives of other groups in society. Often it was
a war council that provided the occasion for an assembly, at other times a
church council. For example, at the famous Council of Szabolcs hosted by 
King Saint Ladislaus 1 [30k] in 1092, decisions were made with the cooperation 
of secular figures, prelates and representatives of the people.
   A true national assembly can only be born of such gatherings if the
concept of country or state already exists. In other words, the state must be 
more that just the king's person; it must encompass as well a community 
which is made up of smaller groupings possessing political rights. A thor- 
ough examination of documents from the Middle Ages shows that these
groupings - the estates - formulated the body of their rights and interest 
under the influence of rediscovered Roman law and with the help of shifting 
canon law. Solid research of the last several years indicates that besides 
Hispania, England, some areas of Scandinavia, and a small Italian prince- 
dom, the Friaul-Aquileia patriarchate, Hungary developed the earliest - in 
the decades between 1270 and 1300 - institutions based on the estates.
   In 1277 on Rákos field, members of the country held an assembly at 
which prelates, barons, nobles and the kuns all participated. The nobles -
most of whom had been subservient to the King, gaining rights only with 
the proclamation of the Golden Bull in 1222 - were, of course, far from 
being staunch supporters of the throne in the power struggle against 
the provincial lords. In any case, laws enacted by the national assemblies 
of 1290 and 1298 show clearly that the group of Hungarian prelates and 
church intellectuals organizing the institutions of the early estate system 
not only stood at the leading edge of European legal and political culture 
but were also attempting, in full awareness of their responsibility, to 
direct the fate of a country foundering in anarchy in the final days of
the Árpád dynasty.
   During the time of the Anjous the memory of these early estate institutions 
faded. The sporadically held assemblies of this period did not themselves 
write laws but merely passed those drawn up by the king. It was not until 
the first half of the l5th century, towards the end of Zsigmond's reign 
and during the time of Ulászló I and primarily during the governance of 
János Hunyadi, that feudal monarchy stabilized. At its center in Hungary 
was the institutional system of feudal assemblies, aiding the king while 
at the same time constrained by law. At this time a new grouping, the 
burghers - fourth in importance - gained the right to have their 
representatives participate in legislation, the enactment of taxes, 
declarations of war and peace negotiations, occasionally the elec-
tion of the palatine and other high-ranking officials, judicial processes, 
and other national assembly work. Finally in 1608 a law was passed to confirm 
the century-old common law, according to which the prelates and the barons 
sat personally in the upper chamber, while chosen delegates of the counties, 
the free royal cities, the free territories and the chapters conducted the 
business of the country in the lower chamber.
   From the end of the l8th century the intellectual program of the
Enlightenment, the philosophical and political formulation of man's right to
personal autonomy, made new demands on Hungarian legislation. If every man 
is equal at birth then not just the privileged but all men are full members 
of the "country". The serfs and the millions in the lower classes must at once
"be included into the sanctity of the Constitution" ; they, too, must win 
representation in the national assembly. This became one of the most 
important demands of the reformers in the bourgeois transformation 
of Hungarian society, which was triggered by the economic and social crises 
of the time. This objective of the program for the bourgeois transformation 
of the state structure - that is, the creation of popular representation in 
the county and national assemblies - was organically complemented by the 
other fundament of a true parliament, the rapid introduction of responsible 
government.
   Many important details of this dual problem were formulated in the 1790's 
by József Hajnóczy, one of Hungary's most important bourgeois thinkers. 
In the early 1830's in the fight for larger steps towards the gradual
introduction of true representation and responsible government, Miklós
Wesselényi and Ferenc Kölcsey, as well as the young Lajos Kossuth who later
played a huge role in the creation of a modern bourgeois public, elevated to a 
political program the reconciliation of the interests of the nobles and the 
serfs. It was Kossuth who was the most vehement representative within the 
liberal reform opposition headed by Ferenc Deák and Lajos Batthyány in 
the 1840's of the view that, despite the position and influence of the 
privileged estates in the court at Vienna, only through broadening the reform 
of popular representation could the national assembly bring to a victorious 
conclusion its "homeland and progress" campaign.
   Though it was the Revolution in the Spring of 1848 that fnally made it 
possible, it was really as a result of the passionate battles of the preceding
decades that Acts on popular representation and responsible government 
were finally adopted. And it is on this legal basis that today's national 
assembly functions as well.
   Zsigmond Vajda's painting then - returning to the Deputy Council 
Chamber - depicts the opening of the first parliament which represents
free citizens (even if their number was restricted by assets 
and educational preconditions) instead of the privileged estates. For 
the first time in Hungarian history executive power had rights delimited
by constitutional responsibility. The painting was styled on a 
lithograph by József Borsos and August Pettenkofen. To the side of 
the Palatine and the central group from the Batthyány Government 
are famous liberal politicians authentically portrayed.


The Old Upper House Hall and the Lounge

   Opposite the Deputy Council Chamber, to the right of the Dome 
Hall in the northern wing is the successor to the chamber of the 
privileged estates, the Clpper House. The walls and the carpet of the 
longue are colored blue. The statues are allegorical depictions of 
agricultural and industrial branches. The paintings on the ceiling [69k], also 
works of Zsigmond Vajda, have historical subjects: St. Ladislaus 
finding medicinal herbs; Könyves Kálmán prohibiting the burning of 
witches; St. Stephen welcoming the monk Astrik who is bringing him 
the crown; the apotheoses of the Holy Cross; King Mátyás dispensing 
justice; and Louis the Great ordering the building of the church at 
Kassa. In a curious addition to this last painting the artist included 
a portrait of not just himself but of the dome's restorer, lmre Steindl.
   Due to the symmetry of the building the Upper House Hall [64k] is just as 
imposing as the Deputy Council Chamber. After the war it was 
restored but not to its original state. They did preserve, however, the 
brown-gold shine of the interior and the original gilded cast statues: 
Science, Power, Truth, Criticism, Faith and Charity. The paintings of 
Mátyás Jantyik, while new, retain the political content of the originals. 
Just as in the Deputy Council Chamber the theme of the independent
Hungarian heritage dominates. Here it manifests itself in a com- 
position about the proclamation of the Golden Bull, while loyalty to 
the Habsburgs is represented by a depiction of the oath to the young 
Maria Theresia, offering military protection for her throne.


The Delegation Room and Corridor

Exiting the council rooms a visitor may take a variety of paths [77k] to 
reach a part of the main staircase - near the entrance - not yet 
discussed. Along the way can be seen the beautiful window [36k] com- 
positions of Miksa Róth, one of the premier glass painters of the 
fin-de-siécle. A glance should be reserved for the decorated gratings 
of the heating system, which maintains a constant temperature in the 
building. Technical knowledge is married to practical ingenuity in the 
corridors where numbered ashtrays allow the deputies to dash into 
the council chamber to vote without having to stub out their scented 
Havannas.
   The corridor of the Delegation Room is decorated with the paintings
of Andor Dudits, symbolizing the main ministries: Defence, 
Religion and Culture, Justice, Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce. 
Formerly the offices of the ministers opened off this corridor (e.g. the 
office of the Speaker of the Parliament was once the office of the 
Minister of Religion and Culture). This large room above the main 
entrance got its name during the Dual Monarchy when 120 individuals,
delegations of 60 persons each from each Parliament, 
exercised supervision over the common ministries (Defence, Foreign 
Affairs and Finance).
   During the sessions held in Pest the Austrian partners admired the 
central work of Master Dudits' youth, the painting covering the western
wall. The moment of the sword stroke at the coronation of Franz 
Joseph in 1867 is today more a symbol of the illusions of the past 
than of the achievements of that "social order".
   The most remarkable feature of the former room of the Council of 
Ministries, which opens from the southern end of the corridor, is the 
ceiling paintings of Károly Lotz, "Fortitude" and "Wisdom" - his most
outstanding works in the Parliament.


The President of the Republic's Receptions Rooms

   Today the two extreme wings of the Parliament house the offices 
of the country's most important public personages. The northern 
wing is for the Prime Minister, while the southern is reserved for the 
President of the Republic. Two noteworthy rooms open from the 
President's offices. In one of them is the "Apotheoses of Hungarian 
Rulers", a group of paintings done between the two world wars by 
Géza Udvary and Antal Diósy. On the longer wall, Udvary represented 
the victorious János Hunyadi listening to the noontime bells, tolling 
according to the Pope's decree in honor of Hunyadi's victory against 
the Turks near Nándorfehérvár, today called Belgrade - hence the 
title of the room, the Nándorfehérvár Hall. On the northern wall 
Udvary painted the apotheoses of Lajos Kossuth with Petõfi, Bem and 
Damjanich, all heroes of the 1848 Revolution.
The Munkácsy Room, opening from the President's office, houses 
the most precious work of art in the Parliament.
   "The Conquest" [48k], which Munkácsy, who was living in Paris at the 
time, originally intended for the Deputy Council Chamber, ended up 
in this room because among other things the Speaker's lectern had 
to be raised for acoustical reasons. More importantly many deputis 
protested that Mihály Munkácsy represented the first meeting between 
the conquerors and the original inhabitants of the region as a 
peaceful greeting and not as a victorious submission. It took twenty 
years after the completion of the work for it to placed here.


The Parliament Library

   There is not a parliament in the world which does not have a libray 
of its own. A sound decision requires a wealth of information, a 
purpose served by the Parliament Library. This first-rate institution 
serves more than just the deputies. It functions as a national library 
as well, specializing in law, recent history, U.N. publications and, of 
course, in parliamentarianism. The Information and Documentation 
Centre of the Council of Europe is situated here as well. (The doc- 
uments of the Parliament are adminsitered by Archives.) Access to 
the half million volumes is facilitated by numerous informational 
systems. The massive reading room is situated under Hunter Hall.