Hungarian National Museum

Created by Ferenc Széchényi, father of Count István of Chain Bridge fame, the National Museum developed out of the library collection he had collated throughout his life. After his death, Parliament decreed that a suitably stately institution be built to contain these treasures, as well as the upper house of the legislative body itself – it wouldn't be until the early 1900s that the neo-Gothic landmark we know today was unveiled on the banks of the Danube. Opened in 1847, the National Museum soon bore witness to history when poet Sándor Petőfi read out his revolutionary Nemzeti dal from these steps to spark an uprising against Vienna. Today, the main attractions at the National Museum are the original Coronation Mantle worn by the first Hungarian monarchs, and the displays relating to the urban development of Budapest, both integral of the permanent History of Hungary collection, divided into two parts. Look out, too, for excellent temporary exhibitions and spend a while in the recently landscaped gardens.