Hungarian Diet

The Palace of the former Hungarian Royal Chamber was built in the 18th century to house the kingdom’s highest financial institution. In 1802-1848 the Hungarian Diet (Parliament) convened here. This is commemorated by several memorial plaques: a plaque in Hungarian recalls the parliament; one in Serbian celebrates the activities of Serb deputies; and a Slovak plaque memorializes national leader Ľudovít Štúr, who served as a deputy in 1847-1848, representing the town of Zvolen. Another plaque marks a precious collection of Islamic manuscripts acclaimed by UNESCO. The parliament also had a prominent role in the struggle for Jewish emancipation in Hungary. It was here that disputes between reformists and conservatives, about whether Jews should be granted civic rights, took place. Finally, in 1840, the Diet passed the important Act XXIX that enabled Jews to move and settle in free royal towns, including Bratislava. The palace today houses the University Library.