Built at the end of the 19th century, the Central Market Hall (officially called 'Központi Vásárcsarnok' in Hungarian) is the largest indoor market in Budapest; there are four other markets like this in Budapest, all built in the same style; all five buildings opened on the same day, on February 15th 1897. The metal roof structure is still the original, and the roof is covered with decorative Zsolnay tiles. There are all sorts of fresh food stalls, so I took the opportunity to stock up on some nuts.
Stephen's intact right hand became the subject of a cult after it was miraculously found when his tomb was opened in 1083. The relic was kept for centuries in a monastery with the exception during the Mongol invasion of 1241 and 1242, when it was transferred to Dubrovnik.; it was then taken to Szinékesfehérvár around 1420. Following the occupation of the central territories of the Kingdom of Hungary by the Ottoman Turks in the middle of the 16th century, the relic was kept in many places, including Bosnia, Ragusa and Vienna. It was returned to Hungary in 1771 when Queen Maria Theresa donated it to the cloister of the Sisters of Loreto in Buda. The relic was kept in the St. Sigismund Chapel in the Buda Castle between around 1900 and 1944, in a cave near Salzburg in Austria in 1944 and 1945, by the Sisters of Loreto in Buda between 1945 and 1950, and has been in the St. Stephen's Basilica since 1950. An annual procession has celebrated the relic since 1938, but in the period between 1950 and 1987 its celebration was forbidden by the Communist authorities.
So, the basilica has the trinity: inside the body of the church, the holy right hand, and a dome to climb (302 steps).
Hungary previously had a two-chamber government (upper and lower houses), but today has only a single house (unicameral parliament). They have retained the upper house chamber, which is shown on tours, and is used for conferences and the like.
Inside the central dome are the crown jewels - guarded by two soldiers, and no photos allowed; the coronation crown is that used to crown St Stephen way back in the year 1,000 AD, and weighs just over 2kg.
The millenial monument was built in 1896 to commemorate the 1,000th anniversary of the arrival of Hungarians in the Carpathian Basin. The monument consists of two semi-circles on the top of which the symbols of War and Peace, Work and Wellfare, Knowledge and Glory can be seen. The niches are decorated by the statues of kings, governors and famous characters of the Hungarian history. At the foot of each statue a small relief depicts the most important moment of the life of the personality.
In the middle of Heroes' square stands a 36 metres high corinthian column with the statue of Archangel Gabriel on the top, the symbol of the Roman Catholic religion. At the pedestal the equestrian statues commemorate Árpád and the seven chieftains of the Hungarian tribes, who settled their people in the present territory of Hungary; his descendants formed the Hungarian royal dynasty.
The square is also home to the tomb of the unknown soldier.
Construction of the Opera House began in 1875, funded by the city of Budapest and by Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary, and the new house opened to the public on the 27 September 1884.
The tour runs for about 40 minutes, and you need a separate ticket to take photos, and another separate ticket to watch a mini-concert (of another 10 minutes) - unfortunately, when I bought the ticket, they didn't tell me that the mini-concert was extra (the sign said "Tour and mini-concert), so I missed out on that bit. Otherwise, quite interesting, but actually a disappointment after the Naples Opera House - and to be honest, I'm referring to both the building and the tour (sorry Budapest).