Palace of Justice

The Palace of Justice at Kossuth Lajos Square, originally named the Hungarian Royal Palace of Justice, is one of the defining buildings of Kossuth Lajos Square in the 5th district of Budapest. It was built between 1893 and 1896 within the framework of the 1896 millennium, in eclectic style, based on the designs of Alajos Hauszmann. The building, erected for the Hungarian Royal Court, served as its headquarters until 1949, after which the larger part was used by the Museum of Ethnography and the smaller part by the Institute of Political History until the end of the 2010s.

According to the plans, the Court will move back into the building originally constructed for it. The renovation of the building is underway, but it will not be completed by the Court’s three‑hundredth anniversary (2023). The move may be further delayed because, during the renovation of the Parliament building, the legislature wishes to operate here temporarily if the renovation works make it necessary.

The building

The first (now no longer existing) building of the Hungarian Royal Court on Ferenciek Square soon proved to be insufficient, so the relocation of the Court to a new building was constantly on the agenda.

In November 1891, Justice Minister Dezső Szilágyi entrusted Alajos Hauszmann with the design of the Palace of Justice and the supervision of construction on the site in the 5th district bounded by Nádor, Alkotmány, Honvéd and Szalay streets. The building had to accommodate the Hungarian Royal Court, the Budapest Royal Court of Justice, the Budapest Royal Prosecutor’s Office, as well as the official offices of the Crown Prosecutor’s Office.

The proximity of the then‑under‑construction Parliament Building, its great mass and prestige, was a factor influencing the shaping of the Palace of Justice building. Hauszmann designed the building so that, in contrast to the vertical lines of the Parliament, the Palace of Justice emphasizes horizontal lines, and with its barely visible roofs and strong cornices creates a contrast to the Parliament’s dome and upward‑reaching roof structure, asserting itself alongside the Parliament. The final stone of the new building was laid personally by Emperor‑King Prince Joseph on 20 October 1896.

Thus the building was erected between 1893 and 1896 under the execution of master builder Lipót Havel of Czech origin. Until 1949 it served as the supreme legislative palace, i.e. it was the former Hungarian Royal Curia.

The building’s style shows the traits of eclecticism after Miklós Ybl, partly still Neo‑Renaissance, with strong Baroque forms that become dominant in the spectacularly dynamic interior architecture. The main façade is richly articulated, stepping forward with a six‑columned portico whose central risalite is closed by a tympanum. Atop the attic, crowned by a triple cornice, stands a statue of the goddess of Justice, torch in her right hand, palm branch in her left; this statue is the work of Károly Senyei. On either side are the seated statues of the Law‑giver and the Law‑viewer, works of János Fadrusz. The tympanum’s sculptural group is by György Zala. It consists of three parts: in the centre the allegorical Court Trial, and in the corners the allegorical figures of Legislation and Jurisprudence. The other façade statues were made by József Róna and Gyula Donáth.

Through the main gate and the forecourt we enter a ceremonial, huge vestibule, from which stairs on both sides lead to the floor. The ceiling's allegorical fresco depicts the triumph of Justitia, a work by Károly Lotz. In creating this work, Lotz based the apparent-architectural image on Andrea Pozzo's depiction in the Roman church of Sant'Ignazio di Loyola in Campo Marzio.

The building, damaged in the Second World War, was restored by architect Elemér Csánk Rottmann.

In 1950 the Palace of Justice was given to the Workers' Party of Hungary's Workers' Movement Institute, and from April 1957 the larger part of the building was used by the Hungarian National Gallery, while the Constitution Street wing became the Party History Institute. In 1973 the Museum of Ethnography moved into the place of the Hungarian National Gallery, which operated in the building until 2017. According to plans, the historical name will be restored and the Supreme Court of Cassation will move back into the building originally constructed for it[mikor?].

Statue of Justitia

The statue of Justitia (Alajos Strobl) that occupied the hall was, in 1950, when the Court of Cassation moved out of the 1896 Palace of Justice, stripped of its marble throne, gilded bronze sword and crown. For a time it was placed in the garden of the Károlyi Palace, later it was moved in front of the former Pest County Court building (Thököly út 97–101). After renovation in 1983 it was placed in its present location, in the vestibule of the Palace of Justice (Markó utca 16). Its destroyed throne is replaced by a simple stone base.