Palace of Parliament

Built by Communist Party leader, Nicolae Ceausescu, the colossal Palace of Parliament is the largest building in Europe and the second largest building in the world after the Pentagon. It is a immense structure that took 20,000 workers and 700 architects to build, and cost billions. Started in 1984, the dictator intended it to be the Headquarter of his Communist Government, but it was still unfinished by his execution in 1989. It has 12 storeys, 1,100 rooms, a lobby of around 100 meter length and 4 underground levels including an enormous nuclear bunker.

Today the building is used by the Romanian parliament and as an international conference centre. Widely viewed as a personification of his obsession with grandiose things and action, the construction entailed the demolition of a quarter of Bucharest’s historic centre, including 26 churches, and the relocation of 40,000 inhabitants from their 19th-century homes to new developments on the outskirts.

Built and furnished exclusively from Romanian materials, the building reflects the work of the country’s best artisans. A guided tour takes visitors through a small section of dazzling rooms, huge halls and quarters used by the Senate (when not in session).

The interior is aluxurious display of crystal chandeliers, mosaics, oak panelling and marble, gold leaf and stained glass windows, and the floors are covered in rich carpets. The largest room has a sliding roof wide enough for a helicopter to enter. Tour guides delight in recounting tales of vast amounts of money that went into waste in decorating and re-decorating its rooms.