The Hungarian National Museum has seven permanent displays that cover the history of Hungary since its foundation, as well as modern and contemporary issues. The building in which the museum is currently located was built between 1837 and 1847 and it is a fine example of neoclassical architecture.
The displays at the museum cover a variety of different topics, such as the age of the Arpads, the Turkish Age, Transylvanian heritage and the royal Hungary. There is also a special section dealing with contemporary history, which covers, among others, Rákóczi War of Independence and the rise and fall of communism in Hungary.
The building of the museum was constructed between 1837 and 1847. The design was laid out by the architect Mihály Pollack in a neoclassical style. Many others contributed to its current appearance by adding statues, paintings and other architectural elements.
The statues in the portico were done by Raffael Monti. They include a famous allegory of Hungary, a figure holding a shield with the Hungarian coat of arms on it. The allegory of Hungary is flanked by Science on one and Art on the other side. Paintings in the staircase and on the ceiling were done by Károly Lotz and Mór Than.
The museum is surrounded by a beautiful garden, scattered with statues and planted with flowers. The garden has long been used as a concert venue and nowadays it hosts the annual Festival of Museums in May.
The Hungarian National Museum was founded in 1802 when Count Ferenc Széchényi set up the National Széchényi Library, based on his extensive collection of prints, manuscripts, books, maps and copperplates. In 1807 the Hungarian National Parliament passed legislation on the new institution and asked the nation to help finance the museum.
In 1803, a year after the Count founded the library, his wife donated a collection of minerals. This started the Hungarian National Museum as a museum of natural history, not only a library. The Hungarian Parliament of 1832-1834 helped the growth of the museum as well. This parliament voted in favour of giving half a million forint to help with the construction of a new building for the collections. During this time the Hungarian National History Museum was officially established. In 1846, the museum moved to its current location.
In 1848 the Hungarian National Museum played a major role in the Hungarian Revolution as the events were partially spurred by the reading of Sándor Petőfi’s twelve points and the famous poem “Nemzeti dal” on the front steps of the museum. This helped give the museum the identification as a major national site of Hungary. In remembrance of the revolution two statues were added. The first is a statue of János Arany which was unveiled in 1883. Later in 1890 there was a statue next to the stairs of the museum and a memorial tablet to Sándor Petőfi. In addition, the Upper House of the parliament held its sessions in the museum at that time. This continued until a new edifice for the parliament was built (1885-1904). In 1949 an act mandated that the ethnographic and natural history collections were to split away from the Hungarian National Museums. This also helped the establishment of the modern-day National Széchényi Library. All of these separate museums are still interconnected and other museums and monuments have become affiliated with them over time. The most recent addition was the Castle Museum in Esztergom in 1985.