BP_traveler_EN....

Hungarian National Museum
68
The idea of founding the museum emerged in times when the national consciousness and the notion of freedom were both becoming apparent
among civilians. In 1802, Ferenc Széchenyi, wanting to grant his rich collection to the Hungarian nation, asked the permission of the ruling Ferenc
I who, of course, supported Széchenyi’s idea. Later, the 1832-36 Hungarian Diet carried a motion to build an independent house for the museum.
The appropriated sum was half a million Forints, and the professionally recognized Mihály Pollach became entrusted with the designs . His work
was finished by 1847, and the place had a significant role in the 1848-49 war of independence. The revolution broke out after the famous poet,
Sándor Petőfi, recited his poem to the nation while standing on the stairs of the museum. From that point on, the building became a museum
as well as an emblem of the nation’s freedom.