In 1902, after a mere 17 years of construction, Hungary presented itself with what was then the largest parliament building in the world. An architectural echo of the Houses of Parliament of London, this neo-Gothic edifice expressed the country's robust self-confidence at the beginning of the 20th century. Since WWII, when Hungary's House of Lords was abolished, members of Parliament have convened only in the southern wing of the building. During the communist era, they convened hardly at all - only eight days a year, in fact, to rubber-stamp the laws drawn up by the Party. Parliament is fronted by several monuments to the nation's lost struggles: the wars for independence in 1703, 1848 and again in 1956. Parliament also contains the crown jewels of Hungary - the Holy Crown and the Coronation Insignia, which were worn by Hungarian kings since the Middle Ages. At the end of WWII, these regalia were spirited out of the country and ended up in the United States, not to be returned until 1978. For the guided tours show up a few minutes early at Gate X, just right of the main stairs. The parliament building is chained off here, but a guard or tour guide should let you in to buy a ticket.