The Hungarian Parliament building in the background and several statues dominate Kossuth Square in Pest on the Danube side. This sculpture by Laszlo Marton dates from 1980 and is of the radical poet Attila Jozsef whose work sensitively explored the human condition. Jozsef commited suicide at age 32.
"Orszaghaz" in Hungarian means "House of the Country". The Hungarian Parliament Building is a notable landmark and stunning example of Neo-Gothic architecture though it also displays Renaissance and Baroque features. It is one of the largest and most magnificent buildings in Europe. This is a view from the front of the building, the west side, on Kossuth Lajos Square.
In the second half of the 19th century, great public structures like the Hungarian Parliament Building were erected on one side of Kossuth Lajos Square. And, on the other side, facing Parliament, the Museum of Ethnography (originally the Palace of Justice) was erected. The square, today, is the symbolic center of the Hungarian state. The Museum, founded in 1872, was moved to this Neo-Renaissance style building in 1973. It houses a collection of Hungarian folk objects from the 19th century.
Construction of St. Stephen's Basilica, the biggest church of Budapest, took 55 years from 1851 to 1906. Such a long time that the locals started using the expression "when the Basilica is finished" as the equivalent of "when pigs can fly". These days on Zrinyl Utca, the street leading directly to St. Stephen's Square, young people gather after work at the many sidewalk cafes and bars which line the avenue.
