UNION INTERPARLEMENTAIRE
INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION
Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments
COMMUNICATION
from
MR. György SUCH
Director General of the Hungarian National Assembly
on
“The Hungarian National Assembly’s parliamentary visitor’s centre, museum and underground
parking garage“
Geneva Session
October 2015
1. The building of the Hungarian Parliament is located in downtown Budapest, on the bank of the river
Danube. Over the years, the stately edifice has become one of the best-known symbols of Hungary
and its capital city.
2. 2. It was built over a period of 17 years at the end of the 19th century (1885-1902).
3. Although the building contains a mixture of elements and motifs from several architectural styles
(e.g. the decoration of the ceiling has Renaissance features), its style is predominantly neo-Gothic.
4. The dimensions of the building are overwhelming: the side parallel to the Danube is 268 metres
long; the building is 123 metres at its widest; the total floor-space of the building is 18,000 m2,
arranged on four levels; the building contains 10 light wells, 13 elevators and several hundred
offices; its cubic capacity is 473,000 m3, which could contain 50 five-storey residential houses; its
dome is 96 m high (which makes it Budapest’s tallest building); the various premises are connected
by a seemingly infinite set of corridors (e.g. the red carpet running along the House alone is close
to 3 km long).
5. As one of the most important elements of the panorama of the Danube bank, the Parliament has
been part of the World Heritage site since 2011.
- The Parliament is home to the country’s legislators;
- it is where the erstwhile Hungarian royal crown is guarded;
- it is the daily workplace of close to 600 people;
- currently it also houses the Prime Minister’s office and some of his staff;
- with approximately 600,000 visitors per year, it is also Budapest’s most visited tourist
attraction.
6. At the same time, the surroundings of the Parliament had been rather shabby for decades.
- there was a huge parking lot in front of the building;
- there was heavy through-traffic in the square;
- the building was inaccessible;
- tourists had to queue in the open air, even if it was raining;
- there was not a single public toilet;
- an air of neglect pervaded the entire area.
7. In 2011, a parliamentary resolution was passed on the comprehensive reconstruction of the
surrounding (Kossuth) square, to be completed by 31st May 2014. This included:
- the construction of an underground car park;
- a visitors’ centre;
- a museum, and
- the reconstruction of the section of the Danube embankment in front of the building.
8. One of the paramount objectives of the reconstruction was to create a harmonious and spectacular
spatial arrangement, one which:
a) emphasises and reinforces the architectural significance of the Parliament (ensuring that the
sight of the National Assembly can be properly appreciated from the streets leading to the
square);
b) harmonises with the bicycle and pedestrian routes of downtown Budapest;
c) prepares the square for the growing number of visitors (construction of the visitors’ centre and
the infrastructure for catering and other services, enabling the shop outlets with storefronts
facing the square to have open terraces).
9. The results of the design tender were announced on 3rd April 2012.
10. The first contractors started work on site in February 2012, and over two years were to pass before
its completion. No development work of such magnitude had been undertaken on Kossuth Square
since it was first built. No underground structure of this size had ever been built in the immediate
vicinity of the building before. And the wall of the Parliament building, 1.5 m in girth, had never
been breached.
11. While the project was being carried out,
- the building received approximately 500,000 visitors each year;
- the reconstruction of all public utilities in the square was performed at the same time (e.g.
Budapest’s main sewers, a tangle of utility networks, a tunnel for the heating system of the
Parliament and a key pipeline carrying Budapest’s drinking-water supplies.);
- what’s more, the construction works had to face the worst ever flood in the history of the
country: the foundation pit had to be filled with water since the final inner supports (the
ceilings and walls) were still to be added, so the walls of the pit would have collapsed
immediately from the pressure of the huge body of water brought by the flood;
- as part of a separate project, the replacement of the Parliament building’s stonework was
also performed in line with an expedited schedule.
All this was done with a mere 5-member project bureau and the help of the Office’s resources, and
without exceeding the EUR 100 million budget.
12. Some 133 trees and 92,000 bushes were planted in the green areas. During the construction
works, 50,000 m3 of concrete was poured and 120,000 m3 of earth was moved for the creation of
the underground parking garage, as well as another 40,000 during the landscaping works. 3,000
tons of reinforcing steel were used; 150 km of electric cables and 3 km of water pipes were laid.
More than 500 trucks carried the 24,000 tons of stone elements; the workers laid down a total of
2.5 million paving slabs. During the weeks of the flood, 80,000 m3 of water was pumped from the
Danube into the construction pit of the underground parking garage in order to support and secure
the slurry wall. The finished underground parking garage is protected from the Danube flooding by
two flood protection gates and two mobile dykes.
13. Hungary’s largest ever spatial design project was completed by 15th March 2014. As a result of the
investment, an imposing and homogeneous space was created, evoking the original concept of the
erstwhile architect, Imre Steindl, with the aid of 21st century spatial architecture tools.
- The new decorative paving and increased green surface areas highlight the building of the
Parliament and provide a setting worthy of the edifice.
- The river embankment was also renovated as part of the reconstruction. The area next to
the building, which had previously been closed, was given a new pavement and turned into a
pedestrian promenade. The area has links to both sides of the square. With the area
between the public road and the river having been remodelled, it is now once again possible
to take a walk around the Parliament building
- The new National Flag was installed in the centre of the square, and now flutters atop a
needle-sharp, 33-metre high pole.
- Next to it, a surface of water reflects the renewed façade of the Parliament and enriches the
view while preventing vehicles from entering the square.
-- In the summer, humidifiers are used to cool the air over some parts of the 55,000 square
metres of new stone paving.
- Apart from the tram service operating along a modified track, vehicular traffic in the square
has been completely removed.
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Surface parking has also ceased; vehicles may use a 600-space underground parking
garage at the northern side of the square.
A visitors’ centre equipped with a souvenir shop and a cafeteria was opened, and is now
able to receive and serve, in a quality environment, the more than 600,000 tourists who visit
the building each year.
The Museum of the National Assembly was opened inside the building.
We decided to open the wide, beautifully arched ventilation tunnels to the public. One now
houses the memorial to the victims of the 25 October 1956 massacre, and the other a
stonework exhibition.
And last but not least, the 4th permanent exhibition opened just this Monday: the History of
the House