The Hungarian National Museum was founded in 1802 thanks to the numismatic, book, and document collections of Count Ferenc Szénchényi. One of my favorite buildings in Budapest, this enormous neoclassical structure was finished in 1846. It was here that the poet Sándor Petofi and others of like mind are said to have roused the emotions of the people of Pest to revolt against the Habsburgs on March 15, 1848. If you look carefully, you will find a column on a plinth on the left side of the entrance that was given to Hungary by Mussolini. The column was from the Forum in Rome. Due to its negative history, the plague now states "A gift from the Italian nation."
The permanent exhibit holds more than one million pieces of Hungarian historical artifacts, including the main attraction, a replica of the so-called crown of King St. Stephen. Stephen was the first king of Hungary and brought Christianity to the land, thus he made it to sainthood upon his death in 1000. The original of what is referred to as King St. Stephen's crown is in the Parliament building. It was stored in the Pentagon in the U.S. after World War II and returned in 1978. Hungarian historians state that the crown was not St. Stephen's; its lower part is believed to have been a gift to King Géza I (1074-77), and its upper part was built for Stephen V, who reigned almost 250 years after the first Stephen's death. The permanent exhibition is the History of Hungary from the Foundation of the State to 1990. Featured are various objects and documents illustrating the migratory history of the early Hungarians from Siberia to the area now known as Hungary, and other displays of their military and social history up to the freedoms regained in 1990. A second permanent exhibit is Lapidarium Roman Stone Finds located in the basement.
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