Parliament Museum Budapest & Visitor Center

4 Exhibitions for Free

tourists heading down the stairs to the entrance on a clear day
Visitor Center – Entrance

The Parliament Museum Budapest: Four new museums with unique exhibitions await visitors mostly in the northern area of the Parliament building.

They are located in the Visitor Center on Kossuth Square.

Getting There:

(get off at Kossuth tér)

  • tram 2
  • M2 (red) metro
  • Bus No. 15
  • Trolley buses No. 70, 78
  • public boat services D11, D12.
the white marble Tisza memorial close to the Danube bank
Entrance to the Visitor Centre and the Tisza Istvan Memorial

The exhibits seem quite dry and boring at first, recommended primarily for history buffs and for those who are really into quirky facts.

The displays are attractive and professionally arranged with lots of hands-on, modern tools for an enhanced experience.

If you have time to spare or if it’s raining then do a quick round even if you’re with kids.

They will enjoy browsing information on the touchscreen monitors and the other visual presentations.

1. The 1000 Year History of Hungarian Legislation

Opening Hours:

  • Monday-Sunday: 09.00 – 17.00

Entry:

  • FREE
an interior from the Reform era (mid-19. century)

A new museum introducing the history of the National Assembly opened on 06. March 2015. in the Visitor Center.

Originally the exhibition showcasing the history of Hungarian legislation first opened in 1929 in the building’s northern wing.

The displays encompassed the collections of the Deák room in the Hungarian National Museum, as well as political pamphlets and posters.

By the 1930s it was the city’s 3rd most popular museum after the National Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts.

a picture of Lajos Kossuth holding a speech

Many displayed items disappeared during World War II.

The museum closed in 1942 with the hope of reopening after the war.

The communist party leaders, however put an end to this optimistic plan and terminated the museum in 1949, moving the collection to the National Museum.

The new permanent exhibition in the Visitor Centre called the 1000-year History of Hungarian Legislation is a a rich, creatively arranged display.

It nicely complements a visit to the Parliament.

2. History of the Construction in the No. XV. Courtyard

displays showing photos abot the various phases of construction

No. XV. is the only interior courtyard of the Parliament sunken beneath the northern main courtyard and covered with glass ceiling that houses an exhibition.

It used to gave home to a photo exhibition about the recent reconstruction and a new mock-up of the Parliament building that is still on display.

Two curiosities of the current exhibit are

  • the red star that adorned the top of during in the Communist years and
  • one of the copper soldiers that also functioned as lightning rods.

You can get an insight into the building’s secrets on 10 modern monitors that display the behind-the-scene story in thematic order.

The three projectors placed in the back of the room show Budapest’s major places of interests.

3. Lapidarium – Stone Collection – Free Admission

statues, gargoyles in the Lapidarium

Opening Hours:

  • March – November 20.: every day: 10.00 – 18.00 (exhibit is closed every day between 13.15 – 14.00 due technical reasons)
  • November – 14. March: Tuesday – Sunday: 10.00 – 12.00:

The collection of stones is exhibited in a former ventilation tunnel lying parallel with the 1956 Memorial & Exhibition located at the southern side of Kossuth Square.

Here you can view carvings and blocks of stonework from the facade replaced during the reconstruction.

Old and new photos showing the history of the building works in chronological order are also on display.

Stone gargoyles depicting various animals and monsters greet visitors in the rotund.

4. 1956 Memorial & Exhibition

Opening Hours:

  • March – November 20: every day: 10.00 – 18.00 (exhibit is closed every day between 14.00 – 14.45 due technical reasons)
  • November – 14. March: Tuesday – Sunday: 14.30 – 16.30:

Tickets: FREE

1956 mmeorial budapest parliamentjpg
Entrance of the 1956 Memorial

The southern ventilation tunnel under the square that used to cool the Parliament building on hot days gives home to the memorial to those who died in the bloodbath on 25. October 1956.

The 350 sqm exhibition area consists of two distinct parts that complement each other.

  • One is a complex display about the mindless massacre that took place on Kossuth Square on 25. October on 1956.
  • The other, the rotund of remembrance is a place for grieving, remembering and showing respect to the victims of the revolution.

Additional information:

TIP: Visit the Parliament building on a 1-hour guided tour! Pre-booked ticket, no standing in line! Y

Things to Do & See Near Kossuth Square

a cake counter full of pastries, cakes and biscuits
Cakes in Szamos Cafe

The Kossuth Square and its neighbourhood in Pest City Centre is full of sights to see.

The area also offers plenty of restaurants and cafes.

TIP: Try the Szamos Cafe right across the Parliament. Has a wide choice of

  • sandwiches,
  • pastries,
  • local delicacies, coffee drinks, tea  and
  • ice cream as well as
  • a Chocolate Museum on the top floor.

The terrace offers a fine view of the Parliament and Kossuth tér.

pairs of cast iron shoes on the Danube ban kwith flowers and candles around them
Shoes on the Danube
  • Stroll along the Danube and you’ll reach the Shoes on the Danube –  a moving memorial to the victims of Nazi holocaust in Budapest righ before the Széchenyi Chain Bridge (south of the Parliament).
  • The Hungarian National Academy and the Gresham Palace (today the Four Seasons Budapest Hotel) stand on Széchenyi Square at the Pest end of the Chain Bridge.
  • Heading north on the riverbank you can see the Margaret Bridge and Margaret Island a green heaven in the middle of the city.

Related:

More Museums in BudapestHistory of BudapestTop 10 Sights – Tours & Activities – Hungarian Natural History Museum