Hungary - Eastern Europe - page 312

saw the construction of the Chain Bridge and the National Theater (no longer stand-
ing), as well as the development of the modern Hungarian national identity. The
museum was a major site during the beginning of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848
and 1849; on its wide steps on March 15, 1848, the poet Sándor Pet ó fi and other
young radicals are said to have exhorted the people of Pest to revolt against the Habs-
burgs. The very presence of such an imposing structure in the capital of Hungary, and
its exhibits, which proudly detail the accomplishments of the Magyars, played a sig-
nificant role in the development of 19th-century Hungarian nationalism.
VIII. Múzeum krt. 14. & 1/338-2122. www.hnm.hu. Free admission. Tues-Sun 10am-6pm (to 5pm in winter).
Metro: Kálvin tér (Blue line).

Néprajzi Múzeum (Ethnographical Museum) Directly across Kossuth tér from
the House of Parliament, the vast Ethnographical Museum is located in the stately neo-
Renaissance/eclectic former Hungarian Supreme Court building. The ornate interior
rivals that of the Opera House. A ceiling fresco of Justitia, the goddess of justice, by the
well-known artist Károly Lotz, dominates the lobby. Although a third of the museum's
holdings are from outside Hungary, you'll want to concentrate on the Hungarian items.
The fascinating permanent exhibition, “From Ancient Times to Civilization,” features
everything from drinking jugs to razor cases to chairs to clothing.
V. Kossuth tér 12. & 1/473-2400. www.neprajz.hu. Free admission for permanent exhibits. 1,200 Ft ($6/£3.10) for
temporary shows. Tues-Sun 10am-6pm. Metro: Kossuth tér (Red line).

Szépmúvészeti Múzeum (Museum of Fine Arts) Planned at the time of
the 1896 millennial celebration of the Magyar Conquest, the Museum of Fine Arts
opened 10 years later in this neoclassical behemoth on the left side of huge Heroes'
Square, at the edge of City Park. The museum is the main repository of foreign art in
Hungary and it houses one of central Europe's major collections of such works. A sig-
nificant part of the collection was acquired in 1871 from the Esterházys, an enor-
mously wealthy noble family who spent centuries amassing great art. There are eight
sections in the museum: Egyptian Art, Antiquities, Baroque Sculpture, Old Masters,
Drawings and Prints, 19th-Century Masters, 20th-Century Masters, and Modern
Sculpture. Most great names associated with the old masters—Tiepolo, Tintoretto,
Veronese, Titian, Raphael, Van Dyck, Bruegel, Rembrandt, Rubens, Hals, Hogarth,
Dürer, Cranach, Holbein, Goya, Velázquez, El Greco, and others—are represented
here. It has been said, though, that while the museum suffers no shortage of works by
the old masters, it can boast precious few outright masterpieces. Delacroix, Corot, and
Manet are the best-represented 19th-century French artists in the museum.
XIV. Hósök tere. & 1/469-7100. Free admission for permanent collection; other exhibits 1,000 Ft-1,800 Ft
($5-$9/£2.60-£4.65). Tues-Sun 10am-5:30pm. Free guided tours in English at 11am Tues-Fri, Sat 11am and 3pm.
Metro: Hósök tere (Yellow line).
Historic Squares & Buildings
Hósök tere (Heroes' Square) Situated at the end of Pest's great boule-
vard, Andrássy út, and at the entrance to its most famous park, City Park (Városliget),
the wide-open plaza of H ó sök tere (Heroes' Square) is one of the symbols of the city.
During the country's Communist era, Socialist holidays were invariably celebrated
with huge military reviews in the square. In 1989 a rally here on the day of the rebur-
ial of Imre Nagy (who was the prime minister of Hungary during the Hungarian Revo-
lution and who was executed after the 1956 uprising against the Soviet-backed regime)
attracted 300,000 people to the square.

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