Országház - Hungarian National Assembly

The Hungarian Parliament Building is the seat of the National Assembly of Hungary. It is located on the bank of the Danube river and is a popular tourist destination in Budapest. The Parliament building is the third largest Parliament building in the world!!! 

The inside of the building is breathtakingly stunning and the interior is jaw-droppingly gorgeous!!!

Ceremonial Stair Hall

It is 265 meters long and 123 meters wide. Its interior includes 10 courtyards, 19 passenger and freight elevators, 29 gates, 27 staircases, and 691 rooms (including more than 200 offices). 

Ceremonial Stair Hall

With its height of 96 meters, it is one of the two tallest buildings in Budapest, along with Saint Stephen's Basilica. The number 96 refers to the nation's millennium, 1896, and the conquest of the later Kingdom of Hungary in 896. 

The construction of the Parliament building began in 1885. The following year, the country inaugurated its 1000th anniversary in 1896. The construction was completed in 1904. Forty million bricks were used in the building process as well as half a million precious stones and 40 kilograms of GOLD!!! 

Lounge of the Chamber of Representatives

The Parliament Building is in the Gothic Revival style. The building is structured symmetrically, consisting of two absolutely identical parliament halls out of which one is used for politics, and the other one is used for guided tours, conferences, and other political activities. While moving from one room to the others, the sense of direction gets easily lost... The dome, located in the center of the symmetry, is Renaissance Revival architecture. 

Lounge of the Chambers of Peers

Before 2014, Hungary's (blended) electoral system was among the most complicated in Europe; it saw the election of Members of the National Assembly six times as of 1990. The system was reformed by Act CCII of 2011 on the Election of Members of the National Assembly with provisions first implemented during the 2014 general elections. That spring, Hungarian citizens elected 199 Members of Parliament (106 MPs from single-member constituencies and 93 MPs from party lists) to a four-year term, voting directly by secret ballot based on universal and equal suffrage.

The Dome Hall

At the heart of the symmetrical building, located is the hexadecagonal (sixteen-sided) central Dome Hall. There you witness the Holy Crown of Hungary (also known as the Crown of Saint Stephen) that has been displayed there since 2000. The Holy Crown has been stolen, hidden, lost, recovered, and taken abroad many times!!!

Holy Crown of Hungary

If you are interested in visiting there, information is available here. 

It is utterly worth visiting!!! Highly recommended.

At last, I would like to acknowledge Ms. Struve for her generous guidance!!!

Merry Christmas!

Archive photos I took in Lisbon two years ago...

New York Kávéház in Budapest

New York cafe (Kávéház in Hungarian) is said to be the most beautiful and most beloved coffee house in Budapest, Hungary. 

Do I agree with that?

Yes. It looks like a museum in Italy!

It used to be the popular salon among (snobbish) creators.

It has an American name, and Italian design, serving the multicultural cuisine of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. 

Classic dishes like Beef Goulash, Fishermen Soup, Chicken Leg Paprikash-style, Wiener Schnitzel, and Grilled Foie Gras are served along with famous desserts such as Dobos, Sacher, and Eszterházy cake.

The menu is available here.

Live orchestra music is awaiting you.

The café is part of Boscolo Budapest, a five-star hotel.

Czechoslovak Independence Day in 2016 Part Two

This is a part 2 entry of Czechoslovak Independence day.

This was my first time shooting fireworks in the rain. Thanks to the weatherproof function of my camera and lenses, I had no hesitation to reveal camera gadgets in the rain but the biggest problem arises when the lens glass surface gets wet by raindrops.... 

All round bokeh (=blur) resulted from raindrops on the lens surface, grrrrr.

The ceremony was solemn and went on regardless of rain.

The photo below shows how heavy the rain was during the ceremony.

At last, I would like to share a crazy video demonstrating the reliability of the weatherproof function of my camera, Olympus OM-D EM-5!!!

Czechoslovak Independence Day in 2016

This is getting to be my annual ritual ceremony of taking photos of the military procession and fireworks on 28th October in Olomouc...

It is a public holiday in the Czech Republic. Rather, it's Independence day. On October 28th in 1918 Czechoslovakia declared its independence from Austro-Hungarian Empire.

As always, the military procession started at 17:40, leaving from Horní náměstí and heading for Žižkově náměstí where the ceremony took place. 

Similar to last year, a young blonde boy soldier took the lead this year...

Happy Independence Day!

To be continued...

Bolton Abbey

Here is another entry of ruins in England!

Bolton Abbey was founded by the Augustinian order in 1154 on the banks of the River Wharfe. Well, Bolton Abbey was technically a priory. In the early 14th Century, Scottish raiders caused the temporary abandonment of the site and serious structural damage to the priory.

Bolton Abbey has been managed by the Devonshire family since 1755 and remains the Yorkshire seat of the 12th Duke of Devonshire. It is still a working priory holding service.

The estate is open to visitors and includes many miles of all-weather walking routes and a variety of attractions for people of all ages. 

Bolton Abbey churchyard contains the war grave of a Royal Flying Corps officer of the First World War (WWI).

National Assembly of Serbia

The National Assembly of The Republic of Serbia (ародна скупштина / Narodna skupština in Serbian) is the unicameral legislature of Serbia. The assembly is composed of 250 proportionally elected deputies by secret ballot, on 4 years term. 

The building is located on Nikola Pašić Square in downtown Belgrade and is a notable landmark and tourist attraction in the city.

Between its completion in 1938 and 2006, it was the seat of the Parliament of Yugoslavia and later the Parliament of Serbia and Montenegro.

The house looks nicer at night when it's lit up!

Albertplatz Fountain

In Dresden...

Katholische Hofkirche

Katholische Hofkirche, Dresden Cathedral, is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Dresden, which is probably the most important Catholic church in Dresden that is located by the Elbe River.

The Church, designed by Gaetano Chiaveri (AD 1738-51), was commissioned by Augustus III, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland.

As you already know, the church was heavily damaged during the bombing of Dresden in WWII (13-14th of February 1945). East German authorities had left it untouched as a memorial to the destruction of the war but the pressure for its reconstruction and fund-raising gained momentum after the fall of Communism and Germany's reunification in 1990. The church was rebuilt 60 years after the bombing. 

One of the uniqueness of the church is its round structure, the pews fanning out from the altar in a circle like the waves of a stone thrown into the water. The upper galleries also hold pews.

Around 2,000 pieces from the altar were salvaged. Each was carefully cleaned and then incorporated into the structures based upon photographs and plans for the original church!

At last I would like to acknowledge Pavlina for the guide. Thanks!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Crkva Svetog Marka Part Two

This is a part 2 entry of Crkva Svetog Marka (St. Mark's Church, Belgrade).

At night

Daytime

Inside view in color

There is a Russian Orthodox Church behind it. It's small but pretty!

A black dog in the church kept barking at me while taking photos at night....

Cattedrale estiva di Santa Maria Assunta

Cattedrale estiva di Santa Maria Assunta (Summer Cathedraw) is a new Cathedral in Brescia, Italy. It is the largest Roman Catholic church in Brescia. The dome is 91 meter tall and was designed by Milan-born architect, Luigi Cagnola (1762-1883). 

The New Cathedral was built over the ruins of the ancient early Christian church of Saint Peter de Dom (San Pietro de Dom). The construction was launched in 1604 and took around two centuries.

During the Second World War, on 13th July 1944, the copper cover and the wooden structure of the cupola burst into flames...

The Presbytery and the Chancel

The present dome was rebuilt after its destruction during the Second World War.

The Statue of Pope Paul VI

The monument of Pope Paul VI, born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini (1897-1978), is placed in front of the altar of the Blessed Sacrament. 

I would like to acknowledge Francesca for guiding me through the town under dehydrating and sizzling weather! Thank you very much.

Detailed info can be found here.

Crkva Svetog Marka

Photos taken in Belgrade continue but no more NATO bombing building photos...

Crkva svetog Marka (St. Mark's Church in Belgrade) is a Serbian Orthodox church located in the Tašmajdan park in Belgrade, Serbia. Actually, it's very close to Serbia TV/Radio tower building that was bombed.

It was built in the Serbo-Byzantine style by the Krstić brothers, and completed in 1940, on the site of a previous church dating to 1835, however, its interior is still not fully restored. 

St. Mark's Church is one of the largest churches in Serbia.

Have a wonderful weekend.

To be continued...