Kossuth Lajos Square

The Hungarian Parliament Building dominates Kossuth Lajos Square with its jagged, gothic revival spires and a central dome that reaches ninety-six meters into the sky. Before the nineteenth century, this riverside stretch was marshland, but builders drove thousands of oak piles into the soft ground to support the massive stone structure. In nineteen fifty-six, the square became a site of gunfire during the uprising against Soviet rule. Bullet holes still scar the stone facade of the Ministry of Agriculture building across the square.