The Palace of the Romanian Parliament (Romanian: Palatul Parlamentului din România) is the seat of the two chambers of the Parliament of Romania. It is located on Spirii Hill (Romanian: Dealul Spirii) in the center of Bucharest, being the largest civil administrative building in the world[3] and is the second largest building in the world after the American Pentagon.[4][3] It is also the most expensive and heaviest administrative building.[3] It extends over a total area of 340,000 m².
The palace was designed by architect Anca Petrescu when she was 28 years old. It was almost completed by the Ceaușescu regime as the seat of political and administrative power, at the cost of the demolition of a large area of the city center.[5] The structure of the building and its construction were planned at "Proiect București", the main civil engineering institute in Bucharest. The head of the project was engineer Valentin Georgescu. Nicolae Ceaușescu baptized it House of the People (in Romanian: Casa Poporului),[6] also being known in the English-speaking world as Palace of the People.[7].
The building was renamed by the State after the fall of the socialist government, since the palace was initially intended for the new headquarters of the Romanian Communist Party. However, many Romanians still call it colloquially People's House. It cost $3 billion, making it the fifth most expensive building in history.[8].
The palace can be visited as long as a prior call is made for a reservation. It is permanently guarded by the Romanian Information Service" (in Romanian: Serviciul Român de Informații (SRI)) and it is estimated that there are always plainclothes agents in the surrounding area, apart from the uniformed security detail.
History
Its construction began in 1985 at the request of President Nicolae Ceauşescu, under the direction of chief architect Anca Petrescu. The demolition of several neighborhoods in the upper part of the city was necessary, with a total of twelve churches, two synagogues, three monasteries and more than 7,000 houses.
The building is made up of twelve floors on the surface, 8 underground, 315,000 m² in area, of which more than 250,000 exceed 86 meters in height and 92 meters in depth. More than 20,000 people worked in shifts 24 hours a day, thousands of engineers and architects.
People's Palace
Introduction
The Palace of the Romanian Parliament (Romanian: Palatul Parlamentului din România) is the seat of the two chambers of the Parliament of Romania. It is located on Spirii Hill (Romanian: Dealul Spirii) in the center of Bucharest, being the largest civil administrative building in the world[3] and is the second largest building in the world after the American Pentagon.[4][3] It is also the most expensive and heaviest administrative building.[3] It extends over a total area of 340,000 m².
The palace was designed by architect Anca Petrescu when she was 28 years old. It was almost completed by the Ceaușescu regime as the seat of political and administrative power, at the cost of the demolition of a large area of the city center.[5] The structure of the building and its construction were planned at "Proiect București", the main civil engineering institute in Bucharest. The head of the project was engineer Valentin Georgescu. Nicolae Ceaușescu baptized it House of the People (in Romanian: Casa Poporului),[6] also being known in the English-speaking world as Palace of the People.[7].
The building was renamed by the State after the fall of the socialist government, since the palace was initially intended for the new headquarters of the Romanian Communist Party. However, many Romanians still call it colloquially People's House. It cost $3 billion, making it the fifth most expensive building in history.[8].
The palace can be visited as long as a prior call is made for a reservation. It is permanently guarded by the Romanian Information Service" (in Romanian: Serviciul Român de Informații (SRI)) and it is estimated that there are always plainclothes agents in the surrounding area, apart from the uniformed security detail.
History
Its construction began in 1985 at the request of President Nicolae Ceauşescu, under the direction of chief architect Anca Petrescu. The demolition of several neighborhoods in the upper part of the city was necessary, with a total of twelve churches, two synagogues, three monasteries and more than 7,000 houses.
For its decoration, noble woods were used (walnut, cherry, elm, oak), marble, 5 cm thick carpets, bronze, aluminum and glass lamps with hundreds of light bulbs, chandeliers almost 2 meters high, doors weighing 5 tons, etc.
The palace is made up of about 40 rooms, designed for banquets and receptions, offices, rooms, etc. The president would have intervened directly in the works, along with the team of engineers.
When Ceaușescu died in 1989, many parts of the building were still under construction. In 1990 the government of Ion Iliescu considered its demolition. Among the proposals were its conversion into a casino or covering it with earth as a monument against communism. It was finally decided that it would house the Parliament, although it remains unfinished.
Since 1996, the building has housed the Chamber of Deputies of Romania, which was previously based in the Patriarchate Palace; the Romanian Legislative Council and the Competition Council. The Senate of Romania followed in 2005, its former headquarters being the building of the former Central Committee of the Communist Party of Romania. The palace also has a large number of conference rooms, halls and other rooms, which are used for a wide variety of purposes. Guided tours are organized with translation in different languages.[9] Even so, around 70% of the building remains empty.[10].
Between 2003 and 2004, a glass annex was built,[11] as well as external elevators. This was done to facilitate access to the National Museum of Contemporary Art&action=edit&redlink=1 "National Museum of Contemporary Art (Romania) (not yet drafted)") (MNAC), opened in 2004 within the west wing of the Palace of Parliament, as well as the Museum and Park of Totalitarianism and Socialist Realism, opened in the same year.
The legislators' dining room has been refurbished. The Cooperation Initiative for Southeast Europe (ICSE), an organization aimed at regional cooperation between governments to stop crime within their borders, also has its headquarters in the building.
In 2008, the palace hosted the 20th NATO Summit. In 2010, politician Silviu Prigoană proposed transforming the building into a shopping center and entertainment complex. Citing costs, Prigoană said that Parliament should move to a new building, as it occupied only 30% of the massive palace. While the proposal sparked a debate in Romania, politician Miron Mitrea dismissed the idea as a "joke".[12]
Bucharestring is a street circuit that surrounds the People's Palace and has been used in international sprint motorsport competitions. Currently, the Cathedral of the Salvation of the Romanian People is being built next to the palace, which will be the national cathedral and the tallest building in Romania.
Images
• - View of Unirii Boulevard from the Palace.
• - View of Bucharest from the Palace.
• - In the background, the façade of the Palace.
• - Parliament Palace.
• - Wikimedia Commons hosts a multimedia category on Palace of the Romanian Parliament.
• - Official website of Visits to Parliament Archived February 18, 2014 at the Wayback Machine.
[4] ↑ Años después ya ha sido superado por otras construcciones, en 2023 el edificio de oficinas más grande del mundo es la Bolsa de diamantes de Surat.
[7] ↑ Tessa Dunlop (7 de agosto de 2013). «Romania's costly passion for building churches». BBC News. Consultado el 7 de agosto de 2013.: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23420668
The building is made up of twelve floors on the surface, 8 underground, 315,000 m² in area, of which more than 250,000 exceed 86 meters in height and 92 meters in depth. More than 20,000 people worked in shifts 24 hours a day, thousands of engineers and architects.
For its decoration, noble woods were used (walnut, cherry, elm, oak), marble, 5 cm thick carpets, bronze, aluminum and glass lamps with hundreds of light bulbs, chandeliers almost 2 meters high, doors weighing 5 tons, etc.
The palace is made up of about 40 rooms, designed for banquets and receptions, offices, rooms, etc. The president would have intervened directly in the works, along with the team of engineers.
When Ceaușescu died in 1989, many parts of the building were still under construction. In 1990 the government of Ion Iliescu considered its demolition. Among the proposals were its conversion into a casino or covering it with earth as a monument against communism. It was finally decided that it would house the Parliament, although it remains unfinished.
Since 1996, the building has housed the Chamber of Deputies of Romania, which was previously based in the Patriarchate Palace; the Romanian Legislative Council and the Competition Council. The Senate of Romania followed in 2005, its former headquarters being the building of the former Central Committee of the Communist Party of Romania. The palace also has a large number of conference rooms, halls and other rooms, which are used for a wide variety of purposes. Guided tours are organized with translation in different languages.[9] Even so, around 70% of the building remains empty.[10].
Between 2003 and 2004, a glass annex was built,[11] as well as external elevators. This was done to facilitate access to the National Museum of Contemporary Art&action=edit&redlink=1 "National Museum of Contemporary Art (Romania) (not yet drafted)") (MNAC), opened in 2004 within the west wing of the Palace of Parliament, as well as the Museum and Park of Totalitarianism and Socialist Realism, opened in the same year.
The legislators' dining room has been refurbished. The Cooperation Initiative for Southeast Europe (ICSE), an organization aimed at regional cooperation between governments to stop crime within their borders, also has its headquarters in the building.
In 2008, the palace hosted the 20th NATO Summit. In 2010, politician Silviu Prigoană proposed transforming the building into a shopping center and entertainment complex. Citing costs, Prigoană said that Parliament should move to a new building, as it occupied only 30% of the massive palace. While the proposal sparked a debate in Romania, politician Miron Mitrea dismissed the idea as a "joke".[12]
Bucharestring is a street circuit that surrounds the People's Palace and has been used in international sprint motorsport competitions. Currently, the Cathedral of the Salvation of the Romanian People is being built next to the palace, which will be the national cathedral and the tallest building in Romania.
Images
• - View of Unirii Boulevard from the Palace.
• - View of Bucharest from the Palace.
• - In the background, the façade of the Palace.
• - Parliament Palace.
• - Wikimedia Commons hosts a multimedia category on Palace of the Romanian Parliament.
• - Official website of Visits to Parliament Archived February 18, 2014 at the Wayback Machine.
[4] ↑ Años después ya ha sido superado por otras construcciones, en 2023 el edificio de oficinas más grande del mundo es la Bolsa de diamantes de Surat.
[7] ↑ Tessa Dunlop (7 de agosto de 2013). «Romania's costly passion for building churches». BBC News. Consultado el 7 de agosto de 2013.: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23420668