Palace of the Parliament (Casa Poporului)

The Palace of the Parliament, known in Romanian as Casa Poporului (the People's House), stands on Dealul Arsenalului in Sector 5 of Bucharest, Romania, and is among the largest administrative buildings on Earth. Construction began in 1984 under President Nicolae Ceausescu, following the 1977 earthquake and Ceausescu's visits to North Korea, and was designed by a team led by the young architect Anca Petrescu. To clear the site, about a fifth of the historic centre was razed, including the Uranus neighbourhood, churches and the Vacaresti monastery area, and tens of thousands of residents were relocated. Work continued day and night with a huge labour force, and the building was still unfinished when Ceausescu was overthrown in December 1989. Completion continued after the revolution, and the Chamber of Deputies moved in during 1994, with the Senate following later. The palace has about 1,000 rooms by popular count and a floor area of roughly 365,000 square metres, and its marble, crystal, wood and carpet were almost entirely sourced domestically. Guided tours cover parts of the interior, including the Union Hall, the Human Rights Hall, grand staircases, the Sala Unirii, the Constanta Hall and the Ion Mincu Hall, with explanations of materials, craftsmanship and the political circumstances of the building. The architecture is a monumental neoclassical style with socialist-realist influences, while the interior is highly ornamented, with massive chandeliers, painted ceilings and heavy drapes. The complex also houses the National Museum of Contemporary Art in the east wing, which visitors may add to a visit. The building is in continuous use for parliamentary and conference activity, so access is restricted and routes can change on short notice. Because it is a working government site, security checks are strict and visitors must present identification, and the experience is therefore best planned in advance with a reservation.