Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Third floor
On the
third floor
,
Tamás Lossonczy
's abstract-surrealistic
Cleansing Storm
,
Béla
Kondor
's whimsical
The Genius of Mechanical Flying
and a wire sculpture by Tibor Vilt
portraying the awful fate of the peasant rebel leader Dózsa presage the section on
Hungarian
artsince1945
. Exhibits are rotated to showcase the museum's collection of work by modern
artists such as Endre Bálint, Attila Szűcs, Sándor Altorjai and Erzsébet Schaár. On fine days,
visitors can ascend to the palace's
dome
for a
view
of the city.
The Mátyás Fountain
An archway just before the entrance to the National Gallery leads through a square flanked
on three sides by the palace overlooking Buda to the west. Against the wall on the left stands
the flamboyant
Mátyás Fountain
, whose bronze figures recall the legend of Szép Ilonka.
This beautiful peasant girl met the king while he was hunting incognito, fell in love with him,
and died of a broken heart after discovering his identity and realizing the futility of her hopes.
The man with a falcon is the king's Italian chronicler, who recorded the story for posterity (it
is also enshrined in a poem by Vörösmarty).
The Lion Courtyard
Down to the left past the Mátyás Fountain, a gateway guarded by lions leads into the
Lion
Courtyard
, totally enclosed by further wings of the palace. To the right of the gateway en-
trance a passage leading to the passenger lift down to Dózsa György tér is lined with photos
that bear witness to the grandeur of the prewar palace.
National Széchenyi Library
OrszágosSzéchenyi Könyvtár•Royal Palace WingF•Tues-Sat 9am-8pm, closed mid-July tolate Aug•Read-
ing room day-pass 1200Ft; passport or identity card required to apply • 1 224 3700,
oszk.hu
On the right-hand side of the Lion Courtyard is the
National Széchenyi Library
occupying
the palace's nineteenth-century Ybl block, whose full size is only apparent from the far side
of the hill, where it looms over Dózsa György tér like a mountain. The library was founded
in 1802 on the initiative of
Count Ferenc Széchenyi
,
the father of István. A repository for
publications in Hungarian and material relating to the country from around the world, by law
it receives a copy of every book, newspaper and magazine that is published in Hungary. The
library hosts regular exhibitions from its collection of books and newspapers. You can only
visit the reading room on guided tours or with a reader's pass. During library hours, one can
use the passenger
lift
in the adjacent building by the Lion Gateway - open to all - which
provides direct access to and from Dózsa tér, at the foot of the Vár.
