Palace of the Parliament

The Palace is in Sector 5 in the central part of Bucharest, at the top of Dealul Spirii (Spirea's Hill), also known as Dealul Arsenalului (Arsenal Hill). It is at the west end of the {{convert|3.5|km|adj=on}} Bulevardul Unirii (Union Boulevard), constructed at the same time as the Palace, and is ringed by Izvor Street to the west and northwest, United Nations Avenue to the north, Liberty Avenue to the east and Calea 13 Septembrie to the south.

{{Main|Centrul Civic|l1=Bucharest Civic Centre}}

File:Nicolae Ceaușescu.jpg ordered the building of a colossal structure]]

File:EPP Congress 2361 (8096737560).jpg

The construction of the Palace of the Parliament was the most extreme expression of the systematization program imposed on Romania by Nicolae Ceaușescu. Systematization was a program of urban planning carried out by Ceaușescu, who was impressed by the societal organization and mass adulation he saw in North Korea's Juche ideology during his East Asia visit in 1971. Ceaușescu decided to implement similar policies in his country, with the stated goal of turning Romania into a "multilaterally developed socialist society."

A systematization project existed since the 1930s (during the time of King Carol II) for the Unirii–Dealul Arsenalului area. The Vrancea earthquake of 4 March 1977 gave Ceaușescu a pretext to demolish parts of old Bucharest.{{Cite web|url=https://www.muzeuldefotografie.ro/2013/09/demolarea-casei-grigore-cerkez-dupa-cutremurul-din-1977/|title=Demolarea casei Grigore Cerkez după cutremurul din 1977|date=11 July 2018}} He wanted a civic center more in line with the country's political stance and started a reconstruction plan of Bucharest based on the socialist realism style.{{Cite web|url=http://pavilionmagazine.org/vlad-bodogan-architecture-of-oppression-an-analyses-of-the-socio-political-implications-behind-the-construction-of-casa-scanteii/|title=Vlad Bodogan: Architecture of oppression: an analyses of the socio-political implications behind the construction of Casa Scânteii|date=11 July 2018|website=Pavilion Magazine}} The House of the Republic was the centrepiece of Ceaușescu's project. Named Project Bucharest, it began in 1978 as an intended replica of the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. North Korean President Kim Il Sung had started construction on a similarly monumental residence, the Kumsusan Palace, two years earlier.

A contest was held and won by Anca Petrescu (1949–2013), who was appointed chief architect of the project at the age of 28. The team that coordinated the work was made up of 10 assisting architects, which supervised a further 700.{{cite web |url=http://www.digi24.ro/Stiri/Digi24/Actualitate/Stiri/De+la+Casa+Poporului+la+Palatul+Parlamentului+Istoria+cladirii+c |title=De la Casa Poporului la Palatul Parlamentului. Istoria clădirii care a intrat de trei ori în Cartea Recordurilor |work=Digi24 |date=31 October 2013}} Construction of the palace began on 25 June 1984, and the inauguration of the work was attended by Ceaușescu, who also frequently inspected the site.

Uranus Hill was leveled, and the Uranus-Izvor neighborhood was destroyed so the building could be erected. The area had also been home to the National Archives, Mihai Vodă Monastery and other monasteries, Brâncovenesc Hospital,{{cite web |url=http://www.ziarulring.ro/stiri/12421/spitalul-brancovenesc-nu-trebuia-sa-cada |title=Spitalul Brâncovenesc nu trebuia să cadă! |work=Ziarul Ring |date=22 February 2010}} as well as about 37 old factories and workshops.{{cite web |url=http://metropotam.ro/Locuri-de-vizitat/Atunci-si-acum-Casa-Poporului-art5172725370/ |title=Atunci si acum: Casa Poporului |work=Metropotam |date=9 June 2009 |access-date=25 December 2015 |archive-date=21 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621191333/http://metropotam.ro/Locuri-de-vizitat/Atunci-si-acum-Casa-Poporului-art5172725370/ |url-status=dead }} Demolition in the Uranus area began in 1982. Approximately {{convert|7|km2|abbr=on}} of the old city centre were demolished, with 40,000 people being relocated from the area.[http://www.radionetherlandsarchives.org/the-palace/ "The Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest", Radio Netherlands Archives, 19 November 1997]

The works were carried out with forced labour in addition to soldiers, minimizing costs.{{cite book |url=http://www.humanitas.ro/humanitas/robi-pe-uranus-0 |title=Robi pe Uranus |date=1992 |edition=I |isbn=973-28-0304-5 |author=Ioan Popa |publisher=Humanitas}}

Between 20,000 and 100,000 people worked on the site and project, operating in three shifts made up of 5,000 Romanian People's Army soldiers and huge numbers of "volunteers".{{Cite web|url=https://adevarul.ro/locale/piatra-neamt/povesti-santierele-groazei-s-au-construit-sange-mastodontii-doriti-ceausescu-casa-poporului-canal-transfagarasan-bicaz-1_5520dd39448e03c0fd3b597d/index.html|title=Şantierele groazei. Cum s-au construit cu sânge mastodonţii doriţi de Ceauşescu: Casa Poporului, Canal, Transfăgărăşan şi Bicaz|date=11 July 2018}} The number of deaths that occurred during construction is a matter of controversy, the official data suggests 27 but workers involved in the construction of the building talk of a much higher number, some say thousands.{{Cite web |last=Realitatea.NET |date=2021-08-20 |title=Culisele statului paralel {{!}} Detalii NESTIUTE despre Casa Poporului. A cui a fost ideea ridicarii monumentului strategic - Cati oameni au murit pe santier |url=https://www.realitatea.net/stiri/actual/culisele-statului-paralel-detalii-nestiute-despre-casa-poporului-a-cui-a-fost-ideea-ridicarii-monumentului-strategic-cati-oameni-au-murit-pe-santier_611fd1053de5874ae441b956 |access-date=2022-06-09 |website=Realitatea.NET |language=ro}}{{Cite web |date=April 2015 |title=Şantierele groazei. Cum s-au construit cu sânge mastodonţii doriţi de Ceauşescu: Casa Poporului, Canal, Transfăgărăşan şi Bicaz |url=https://adevarul.ro/locale/piatra-neamt/povesti-santierele-groazei-s-au-construit-sange-mastodontii-doriti-ceausescu-casa-poporului-canal-transfagarasan-bicaz-1_5520dd39448e03c0fd3b597d/index.html |access-date= |website=adevarul.ro |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Murgoci |first=Anca |title=Peste ce s-a construit Casa Poporului. Vezi imagini din 1982 |url=https://www.dcnews.ro/peste-ce-s-a-construit-casa-poporului-vezi-imagini-din-1982_386644.html |access-date=2022-06-09 |website=DCNews |date=8 November 2013 |language=ro}}

During the 1980s, the Romanian government implemented a crippling austerity policy to pay the foreign debt.

In 1989, the building costs were estimated at US$1.75 billion, and in 2006 at US$3 billion. In 1990, Australian-born business and media magnate Rupert Murdoch tried to buy the building for US$1 billion, but his bid was rejected.{{cite web |url=http://stirileprotv.ro/stiri/romania-pitoreasca/ce-mesaje-ascunse-au-lasat-muncitorii-pe-zidurile-casei-poporului-detalii-nestiute.html |title=Detalii nestiute despre Casa Poporului, cea mai scumpa cladire administrativa din lume |work=Stirile Pro TV |date=16 May 2013}}

Since 1994, the palace has housed the lower house of the Romanian Parliament, the Chamber of Deputies, after its former seat, the Palace of the Chamber of Deputies (now the Palace of the Patriarchate), was donated by the state to the Romanian Orthodox Church. Since 2004, the upper house, the Senate of Romania, has also been housed in the Palace of the Parliament, after having left the former headquarters of the Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party.

Six years after the palace's completion, between 2003 and 2004, a glass annex was built alongside the external elevators.{{cite book |url=http://www.ashgate.com/isbn/9780754670223 |title=Cultural Landscapes of Post-Socialist Cities |author=Mariusz Czepczynski |publisher=Ashgate |date=June 2008 |isbn=978-0-7546-7022-3}} This was done to facilitate outside access to the National Museum of Contemporary Art, which opened in 2004 in the west wing of the palace. During the same period, a project aiming to hoist a huge flag was cancelled following public protests. A flag already hoisted outside the building was also removed after the protests.

A restaurant inside the palace, accessible only to politicians, was refurbished. Since 1998, the building has also housed an office for the Regional Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI) Centre for Fighting Transborder Crime.{{cite web |url=http://www.mfa.gov.rs/en/foreign-policy/eu/regional-initiatives/seci |title=South-East Europe Cooperative Initiative (SECI) |work=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151102070453/http://www.mfa.gov.rs/en/foreign-policy/eu/regional-initiatives/seci |archive-date=2 November 2015 |df=dmy-all }}

In 2008, the Palace hosted the 20th summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. In 2010, politician Silviu Prigoană proposed re-purposing the building into a shopping centre and entertainment complex. Citing costs, Prigoană said that the Romanian Parliament should move to a new building, since they occupied only 30% of the massive palace. While the proposal sparked debate in Romania, politician Miron Mitrea dismissed the idea as a "joke".{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/romania/7148097/Nicolae-Ceausescu-palace-to-be-turned-into-shopping-mall.html |title=Nicolae Ceausescu palace 'to be turned into shopping mall' |work=The Telegraph |author=Matthew Day |date=4 February 2010}}

The palace has also been the background for several motorsports events, including the 2011 Drift Grand Prix Romania, which brought together professional drifters from all over Europe.{{Cite news|url=http://www.speedhunters.com/2011/10/guest_blog_drift_ro_gt_gt_sideways_in_romania_s_capital_b/|title=Guest Blog: Drift.ro>> Sideways in Romania's Capital – Speedhunters|date=29 October 2011|work=Speedhunters|access-date=2018-02-13|language=en-US}}

Although the Palace of the Parliament was financed from public funds and the architects did work for hire, after the death of chief architect Anca Petrescu, her heirs sued the Chamber of Deputies for using images of the iconic building without authorization. The chamber was accused of copyright infringement for selling photos and souvenirs depicting the building's image.{{Cite news|url=https://stirileprotv.ro/stiri/actualitate/familia-arhitectei-casei-poporului-vrea-2-din-castigurile-pe-care-camera-deputatilor-le-incaseaza.html|title=Bătălia pentru imaginea Palatului Parlamentului. Decizia luată de OSIM|work=Stirileprotv.ro|access-date=2018-11-02}} In other lawsuits, the heirs claimed violation of trademarks owned by the chief architect through the depiction of the palace from different angles.{{Cite news |url=https://pandects.dpvue.com/2018/10/taking-photos-of-palace-of-parliament.html |title=Taking photos of the Palace of Parliament can be considered illegal |website=Pandects dpVUE |access-date=2018-11-02 |language=en-US |archive-date=26 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126012836/https://pandects.dpvue.com/2018/10/taking-photos-of-palace-of-parliament.html |url-status=dead }}

While legal experts state that no restrictions exist for tourists wishing to photograph the iconic building for non-commercial purposes, Petrescu's heirs have clearly set out that any commercial use of the building's image is subject to a 2% royalty fee. It is believed the situation could have been avoided if an agreement between the chief architect and the beneficiary (the Romanian state) had addressed the intellectual property rights and Romania had implemented freedom of panorama, restricting the scope of copyright law in such cases.

Construction of the palace began in 1984 and was initially scheduled for completion in two years. The project was extended to 1990, but in 2013 it was reported that only 400 rooms and two large meeting rooms were finished and being used, out of a total of 1,100 rooms.{{Cite web |date=13 May 2013 |title=Detalii nestiute despre Casa Poporului, cea mai scumpa cladire administrativa din lume |url=https://stirileprotv.ro/stiri/romania-pitoreasca/ce-mesaje-ascunse-au-lasat-muncitorii-pe-zidurile-casei-poporului-detalii-nestiute.html |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=Știrile ProTV |language=ro}}

The building has eight underground levels, the deepest housing a nuclear bunker, linked to main state institutions by {{convert|20|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} of tunnels.{{cite web |url=http://www.libertatea.ro/detalii/articol/secretele-casei-poporului-ceausescu-voia-sa-umble-cu-masina-pe-sub-bucuresti-323291.html |title=Secretele Casei Poporului {{!}} "Ceauşescu voia să umble cu maşina pe sub București" |work=Libertatea |date=21 February 2011}} Nicolae Ceaușescu feared nuclear war. The bunker is a room with {{convert|1.5|m|ft|-thick|adj=mid}} concrete walls said to be impervious to radiation. The shelter is composed of a main hall – headquarters which would have had telephone connections with all military units in Romania – and several residential apartments for state leadership, to be used in the event of war.

The palace's floor area of {{convert|365,000|m2|sqft|abbr=on}} makes it the world's third-largest administrative building after the Pentagon outside of Washington, D.C. in the United States and the Sappaya-Sapasathan in Thailand. It is also among the most massive buildings in terms of volume, measuring {{convert|2,550,000|m3|cuft|abbr=on}}:{{cite web |url=http://adevarul.ro/news/bucuresti/la-plimbare-subsolul-casei-poporului-1_50bde9db7c42d5a663cfdab4/index.html |title=La plimbare prin subsolul Casei Poporului |work=Adevărul |date=26 March 2010}} for comparison, the building exceeds by 2% the volume of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt,{{cite web |url=http://metropotam.ro/Locuri-de-vizitat/lucruri-mai-putin-stiute-despre-casa-poporului-cea-mai-mare-cladire-din-europa-art3946701317/ |title=Lucruri mai putin stiute despre Casa Poporului – cea mai mare cladire din Europa |work=Metropotam |date=4 March 2015 |access-date=25 December 2015 |archive-date=21 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721151959/http://metropotam.ro/Locuri-de-vizitat/lucruri-mai-putin-stiute-despre-casa-poporului-cea-mai-mare-cladire-din-europa-art3946701317 |url-status=dead }} leading some sources to label it "pharaonic".{{cite web |url=http://www.travelworld.ro/atractii-romania/arhitectura/casa-poporului.html |title=Casa Poporului |work=TravelWorld.ro}}

The Palace of the Parliament sinks {{convert|6|mm|in|abbr=on}} each year due to its weight.{{cite web |url=http://www.gandul.info/magazin/casa-poporului-se-scufunda-in-sol-in-fiecare-an-ce-spun-specialistii-despre-acest-fenomen-13739642 |title=Casa Poporului se scufundă în sol în fiecare an. Ce spun specialiştii despre acest "fenomen" |work=Gândul |date=26 December 2014}} Romanian specialists who have analyzed the data have explained that the palace's massive weight is causing the layers of sediment below the building to settle.

The building was constructed almost entirely of materials of Romanian origin. Among the few exceptions are the doors of Nicolae Bălcescu Hall, received by Ceaușescu as a gift from his friend Mobutu Sese Seko, longtime totalitarian President of Zaire (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo).{{cite web |url=http://www.youramazingplaces.com/palace-of-the-parliament-bucharest/ |title=7 Amazing Facts about The Palace of The Parliament in Bucharest |work=YourAmazingPlaces.com|date=28 March 2015 }}

Among the materials are 3,500 tonnes of crystal – 480 chandeliers, 1,409 ceiling lights and mirrors were manufactured; 700,000 tonnes of steel and bronze for monumental doors and windows, chandeliers and capitals; {{convert|1000000|m3|abbr=on}} of marble, {{convert|900000|m3|abbr=on}} of wood{{cite web |url=http://www.casapoporului.ro/article/264/Casa-Poporului |title=Casa Poporului |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208052622/http://www.casapoporului.ro/article/264/Casa-Poporului |archive-date=8 December 2015 |df=dmy-all }} (over 95% domestic) for parquet and wainscotting, including walnut, oak, sweet cherry, elm, sycamore maple; {{convert|200000|m2|abbr=on}} of woollen carpets of various dimensions (machines had to be moved inside the building to weave some of the larger carpets); velvet and brocade curtains adorned with embroideries and passementeries in silver and gold.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}

The Palace of the Parliament has featured in a variety of films, most famously as the Vatican in the 2018 horror film The Nun. Other films include War Dogs, starring Jonah Hill; Dying of the Light, starring Nicolas Cage; and What About Love (2022), starring Sharon Stone and Andy García.

It also appeared on an episode of Top Gear in 2009, titled "Romanian GT Road Trip to Find the Transfagarasan Highway".{{Cite web|title=Filming Location Matching "Palace of the Parliament, Bucharest, Romania" (Sorted by Popularity Ascending)|url=http://www.imdb.com/search/title/?locations=Palace+of+the+Parliament,+Bucharest,+Romania|access-date=2021-11-10|website=IMDb}}

File:Palatul Parlamentului I (42630333435).jpg|Details

File:Al . I. Cuza Hall, Palace of the Parliament of Romania (8007298148).jpg|Elaborate decorations in Alexandru Ioan Cuza Hall

File:EPP Congress 5516 (8099357145) (uncropped).jpg|The palace's crystal chandeliers were manufactured at Vitrometan Mediaș glass factory.{{cite web |url=http://www.mediafax.ro/social/vitrometan-locul-unde-2-ani-s-a-lucrat-la-candelabrele-din-casa-poporului-de-la-moda-pestelui-din-sticla-colorata-asezat-pe-mileul-de-pe-televizor-la-planul-pentru-supravietuire-galerie-foto-10691119 |title=VITROMETAN, locul unde 2 ani s-a lucrat la candelabrele din Casa Poporului. De la moda peştelui din sticlă colorată aşezat pe mileul de pe televizor la planul pentru supravieţuire |work=Mediafax |date=26 March 2013}} Manufacturing the 480 chandeliers took two years.

File:EPP Congress 2012. Day 1 (8094599142).jpg|Inside the Palace of the Parliament

File:EPP Congress 6428 (8099492542).jpg|International Conference Centre

File:Palaceparliamentromaniarosettihall.jpg|"C. A. ROSETTI" Hall

File:Romania-1193 - Union Square (7557758988).jpg|Palace of the Parliament as photographed from Union Avenue

File:Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest (51879943436).jpg|Parking nearby Palace of the Parliament

File:Bucarest - Palau del Parlament.png|Wide shot of the palace

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• [https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/camera-deputatilor Palace of Parliament – Chamber of Deputies, Bucharest at Google Cultural Institute]

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