HUNGARIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM BUDAPEST HUNGARY

The Hungarian National Museum was founded in 1802 and is the national museum for the history, art, and archaeology of Hungary, including areas not within Hungary's modern borders, such as Transylvania, it is not to be confused with the collection of international art in the Hungarian National Gallery. The museum is in Budapest 8 in a neoclassical building, purpose-built during 1837-47 by the architect Mihály Pollak. The Hungarian National Museum traces its foundation to 1802, when Count Ferenc Zekiniai set up the National Zekiniai Library. This would then be followed a year later by the donating of a mineral collection by Zekiniai's wife. This led to the creation of the Hungarian National Museum as a general history and natural history museum, beyond being simply a library. In 1807, the Hungarian National Parliament passed legislation on the new institution and asked the nation to help donate to the museum. The Hungarian Parliament of 1832-1834 helped with the growth of the museum as well. The Parliament voted in favor of giving half a million forints to help with the construction of a new building for the museum. During this time the Hungarian National History Museum was officially set up under the Hungarian National Museum. Later, in 1846, the museum moved to its current location of 8. Museum Krt. 14-16, where the museum resides in a neoclassical-style building designed by Mihály Pollak. In 1848, the Hungarian National Museum played a major role in the Hungarian Revolution. The revolution was partially spurred by the reading of Sandor Patófi's Twelve Points and the famous poem Nemzetidál on the front steps of the museum. This helped make the museum a major site of national importance and identity for Hungary. In remembrance of the revolution, two statues were added to the museum, the first is a statue of Janos Arany, unveiled in 1883. In 1890, there was a statue next to the stairs of the museum of a memorial tablet to Sandor Patófi. Additionally, during this time, the Upper House of the Parliament held its sessions in the This continued until the new House of Parliament was built. Today, festivities held in remembrance of the National Commemoration's Day of 1848 are held in front of the museum. In 1949, an act split the ethnographic and natural history part of the Hungarian National Museum off of the main museum. They now comprise the Hungarian Natural History Museum and Ethnographic Museum. This also helped with the setting up of the modern-day National Zekiniai Library. All of these separate museums are still interconnected, and other museums and monuments have become affiliated with them over time. The most recent addition was the Castle Museum in Esztergom, which joined in 1985. The Hungarian National Museum has seven permanent displays. The general history of Hungary is covered in two sections, the archaeology from to the Avar period ending in 804 AD on the first, ground, floor, on the east-west frontier, and the history from 804 to modern times on the first floor. This display covers topics such as the Age of the Arpads, the Long Turkish Occupation, Transylvania, and Royal Hungary. More modern and contemporary history covered begins with the Rakóczi War of Independence, showing different sections of his military attire and various coins. The history section then ends with the rise and fall of the communist system in Hungary. In another hall on the second floor one can find out about the scholar-Hungarians who made the 20th century. A room on the first floor displays the medieval Hungarian coronation mantle. The ground floor's permanent exhibit is focused on medieval and early modern stone inscriptions and carvings. This exhibit looks at various stone relics and the carvings that have been made into them. The majority of the items in this collection were discovered during the 1960s and 1970s, since they looked for more relics post-World War II. The final permanent exhibit is placed in the basement of the museum. This is the Roman Lapidary Exhibit, which is a collection of ancient Roman stone inscriptions and carvings. The building where the Hungarian National Museum is currently located was built from 1837 to 1847. The style of the main building was laid out in a neoclassical style and was added on to by other artists in the form of statues, paintings, and other architecture. The statues of the portico were done by Rafael Monti of Milan. One of these is a famous statue of the allegoric figure of Hungary, holding a shield with the Hungarian coat of arms on it. On the sides of this figure there is science on one and art on the other. In addition the paintings that have been in the staircase and on the ceiling since 1875 were done by Karoly Lotz and more than. There has also been a garden that is used primarily for various concerts. Various artists have performed here including Ferenc Liszt. Today the garden is the venue of the museum festival. Scenes from the movie Evita, starring Madonna were filmed on the steps leading in. The scenes depicted the coffin of Eva Perón being carried into a Buenos Aires government building to lay in state. The Hungarian National Museum lies in District 8 of Budapest, the Palace District, surrounded by luxurious palaces built for the upper class and high society by the most renowned architects. Most of these lavish bourgeois city palaces have retained their full splendor to this day. Still, the cityscape here is ruled by the neoclassical building of the Hungarian National Museum, surrounded by a splendid garden that has been renovated quite recently and which offers a secluded look in the center of the throbbing heart of this beautiful metropolis. The garden was among the first public parks in Budapest and was hugely popular among the local children in the 19th century. This fact is commemorated by a retro playground built within the garden, offering an atmosphere of days gone by, akin to what is depicted in Ferenc Molnar's legendary youth novel The Paul Street Boys, whose plot takes place in the neighborhood. The playground features a genuine and working barrel organ, a steampunk-style kids' castle, a miniature horse tram and a marble dispenser, marbles play an important role in the novel. The garden and the steps of the museum are also a favorite meeting spot for students at the nearby Yevoshlorond University, you will see them in dozens if the sun is shining. The Hungarian National Museum is your best choice if you want to learn about the history of Hungary. The museum boasts a collection of several million items, including works of art, collections and archaeological finds that lead visitors through the history of the Hungarian state and nation, from the prehistoric period through the Middle Ages to the modern day. The exhibitions include priceless items such as the coronation mantle of Saint Stephen, founder of the Hungarian state, and the so-called CSO treasure, a truly invaluable collection of ornate silverware from the late Roman imperial period.