Parliament Funkadelic

School blog 10

            It was a significant Wednesday for team JSBP. Over the past three months there has been a nonstop buzz of chatter and inquiry concerning when we'd finally be able to get all funkadelic in the Parliament building.

Magyar's make good Goulash and rad buildings

It would be impossible to visit Budapest and not stare with awe at the Hungarian Government’s headquarters. The buildings pointed towers and intricate pillars act as massive exclamation pints along the side of the Danube. The golden detail throughout every corner and crevasse give light to the imperial and intimidating history of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. One of our teachers says that the Parliament was built with such extreme effort because of the Magyars desire to bring the capital of the Habsburg Empire from Vienna to Budapest. Another claims that the Hungarians have always felt insignificant in Europe, and have attempted to compensate for this feeling through their huge and over the top architectural feats.

   

            Upon entering Parliament it was quite clear that the interior of the colossal legislative center was going to exhibit the same feeling of fascination and disbelief that the outside does. There’s a story to be told about every detailed inch of the building. The meticulous stained glass windows had been removed and hidden in the basement during World War Two. The paintings and symbols that cover every corner and wall represent different aspects of Hungary. Its fifteen hundred year history is portrayed on the ceilings. The main dome of the building is 96 meters high, representing the fact that Arpad founded Hungary in 896. The symbols of various Kings from the country’s royal past are subtly portrayed in the edgings of rooms. The Royal Crown of Saint Stephen, which is arguably over one thousand years old, sits in the middle room of the building, between its two legislative halves. At the top of the crown there is a tilted cross. Legend states that because of the amount of turmoil that the crown has gone through (traveling from place to place to be kept from invaders, being buried after wars, etc.) and because of the various hands the crown has been passed between, the cross became skewed.

Holy Crown of St. Stephen, Founder of the Kingdom of Hungary

             We were also lucky enough to sit in on the Wednesday session of Parliament. The Hungarian legislature has over three hundred members (perhaps too many for such a lightly populated country), of which only about twenty were present. And to be honest the twenty who were there didn’t seem like they wanted to be. As various speakers took the floor most of the public officers sat indifferently, surfing the web and talking on their cell phones. It was interesting to see government in action, even though not much action was taking place. People often complain about how slow moving democratic governments like this are at getting anything done. It wasn’t to hard to understand why action is so slow to arise after seeing this particular Hungarian Parliament session.

 

Parliament Funkadelic- One Nation Under Groove

            Yet, in any regard the Parliament building was truly epic and beautiful. I can’t quite capture its brilliance in words, but I’d absolutely say that it was a pretty funkadelic spot.