The Néprajzi Múzeum (Ethnographic Museum)

Lajos tér,
Budapest
Budapest
Hungary

Type: Museum

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The Néprajzi Múzeum (Ethnographic Museum) stands across from Parliament, once the home of the Palace of Justice. A careful eye may notice the resemblance to the Berlin Reichstag. The building was the second-place finisher in the design for Parliament in 1888. It is notably topped by the statue of Justice riding her carriage drawn by three straining steeds. Designed by Alajos Hauszmann, its breathtaking interior with red and black marble pillars, topped by gold Corinthian leaves, white stairways, stained glass windows, and Károly Lotz’s extraordinary ceiling painting, blend to make a delightful tour on its own. Across from this building is the Agriculture Ministry, the third-place runner up in the competition of 1888, which, however, is now strictly for official administrative offices. From Lajos tér, take a stroll up Alkotmány utca to Hold utca and make a right turn. At the juncture of Báthory utca, in the middle of the square is the eternal flame, in memory of Lajos Batthyány, Prime Minister of the short-lived overnment of 1848-49. After the Hapsburgs finally suppressed the brief cry of freedom in Hungary, they took Lajos Batthyány to this very spot and executed him by firing squad. At the time it was the corner of a sprawling Hapsburg military barracks, a symbol of Austrian dominance, built by the orders of Emperor Joseph II in 1786, a symbol of the centralization of Hapsburg power. It was known then as The New Building. However it was torn down and buried with its old memories in 1897. The small series of streets and buildings between here and Szabadság tér were all erected over its ruins. It might be said that Batthyány’s spirit lives on, and so does Hungary’s.