You cannot visit Bucharest and miss the most controversial building in Romania. The Palace of Parliament in Bucharest is the most important tourist attraction of the capital city and one of the most visited in Romania.
What is the Palace of Parliament?
The Palace of Parliament, also known as Palatul Parlamentului in Romanian, serves as the official home of the Parliament of Romania. It houses the Senate and Chamber of Deputies, as well as an international conference centre and three museums: the National Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Communist Totalitarianism, and the Museum of the Palace.
The building was commissioned by Nicolae Ceaușescu, the Communist leader of Romania, as a symbol of his power and a reflection of the personality cult that had developed around him and his family. Chief Architect Anca Petrescu, along with a team of about 700 architects, designed and supervised the construction of the impressive structure. The architecture combines Socialist Realist and Neoclassical styles.
The construction of the Palace of the Romanian Parliament lasted 13 years, from 1984 to 1997, but it remains unfinished. The palace stands at a height of 84 meters (276 feet), covers a floor area of 365,000 square meters (3,930,000 square feet), and has a volume of 2,550,000 cubic meters (90,000,000 cubic feet).
During construction, the building was named the House of the Republic. However, after the Romanian Revolution of December 1989, it became widely known as The People’s House (Casa Poporului in Romanian).
A short history of the Palace of Parliament
Nicolae Ceaușescu visited North Korea in 1971 and returned impressed by the personality cult surrounding Kim Il-Sung. When a devastating earthquake struck Bucharest in 1977, Ceaușescu, already consumed by grandiose ambitions, seized the opportunity to reconstruct the city according to his own egocentric vision.
The People’s House was part of Ceaușescu’s reconstruction project. He wanted all the central organs of the state located in one building, one safe from earthquakes or nuclear attacks.
To build the palace and its surroundings, approximately 7 km² (2.7 sq mi) of a neighbourhood was demolished, and around 57 000 families were relocated. More than this, the mammoth building was mostly constructed with the unpaid work of 12 000 soldiers, nuns and other “volunteers”. Approximately 20 000 people worked in the construction of the Palace of Parliament in three shifts around the clock for seven years. While official records indicate that 27 fatal accidents occurred during the construction process, there are rumours that the actual number of casualties was much higher.
The Palace of Parliament was raised almost entirely using materials from within Romania, including 1 million m³ (35 000 000 cu ft) of marble, 900 000 m³ (32 000 000 cu ft) of various types of wood, 3 500 tons of crystal, and curtains made of velvet and brocade adorned with silver and gold embroidery and passementeries.
All the aspects of the construction of the Palace of Parliament contradicted the economic situation of the 1980s, during which Romanians struggled with food shortages and poverty.
In those times, Nicolae Ceaușescu’s obsession with paying off the national debt forced Romanians to ration food and electricity.
The fact that the government redirected significant resources and funds towards the building project exacerbated the situation.
People revolted in ‘89 when the building was about 95% finished. In the following seven years, the new leaders of Romania invested a huge amount of money into the construction. The palace, however, remains unfinished, and its final reception never took place.
A curious case of opulence in poverty
Its old name, Casa Poporului (People’s House) is just one of the many ironies. This palace is not for people. It used to be for Ceaușescu’s megalomaniacal desires. Now it’s mostly for nothing, and 70% of the building stays unused. Ceaușescu’s “pyramid” is only 2% larger in volume than the Pyramid of Keops.
It is worth visiting the Palace of Parliament as a curiosity about how the materialization of a dictator’s Napoleon complex can look. There are enormous crystal chandeliers, golden-plated decorations, and a lot of useless space. It’s impressive, imposing and impersonal. It’s a huge extravagant building but has no soul. Trigger warning: it might make you feel small.
The monstrous building located on Dealul Spirii (Spirea’s Hill) is a reminder of the megalomania of the fallen communist regime, as well as evidence of the incapacity of current authorities to deal with our complicated legacy.
The heritage of Ceaușescu
You’ll find no photo of Nicolae Ceaușescu in the Palace of Parliament, nor anything that might remind of him. And yet, the whole palace is a testament to the extravagance and excess of the Ceaușescu regime.
The Parliament building continues to be a financial burden on the Romanian people due to its decaying condition. The radiators and other systems in the building frequently break down, resulting in high maintenance costs. Despite some modernizations in the past years, the building still has poor energy efficiency. Most of the expenses are actually electricity bills – it consumes as much electricity as a small town.
Only a fifth of all the maintenance costs are offset by revenue from tourism, event rentals, and other commercial ventures, with the remainder coming from the state budget.
Well, now we have it, we don’t know what to do with it and it has become a Romanian symbol we don’t want or afford.
Palace of Parliament: a building of 3 world records
Largest administrative building in the world for civilian use
With a floor area of 360 000 square meters, the World Records Academy named the Palace of Parliament the largest administrative building in the world for civilian use. Only the Pentagon is a larger administrative building, with 604,000 m² – but this one is for military use.
Heaviest building in the world
Palatul Parlamentului also holds the record for the world’s heaviest building, weighing in at 700 000 metric tons of steel and bronze, 3 500 metric tons of crystal glass, 1 million m3 of marble and 90 00 m3 of wood.
Most Expensive Administrative building in the world
Unfortunately for the Romanian people, the Palace of Parliament is also the most expensive administrative building in the world. The last estimation of Word Records Academy is from 2006 when the building’s total costs were estimated at 4 billion USD.
Bonus: Second most embarrassing architecture project
The Palace of Parliament holds another shameful record, offered by the most visited architecture website in the world, ArchDaily. The Palace ranks a well-deserved 2nd as the most over-budget, unsuccessful, and embarrassing architecture project.
And yet, the Palace of the Parliament is the must-see attraction of Bucharest.
How to visit the Palace of Parliament in Bucharest?
The easiest way to visit the Palace of Parliament is with an organized group. Then a group guide will take care of booking and access. If you enjoy travelling solo or in a small group, read further before visiting the palace. First, it’s important to note that you can’t enter the building without an ID card or a passport. For all the information about visiting hours, fees and rules, check the official website.
Book a visit to the Palace of Parliament
It’s better to book your visit one day ahead. If you didn’t there are some small chances to find a free spot in a group right before they enter. But again, you better book your tour.
For groups of 1 – 9 people, booking can be made only by phone at numbers +40 733 558 102 or +40 733 558 103 within 24 hours before the visit.
For groups of at least 10 people, book by sending an email request to cic.vizite@cdep.ro.
Keep in mind you need to be present at the information desk 15 minutes before the tour starts.
Visit the Palace of Parliament – entry fees
Right now (2024) only Standard Tour is available. It’s unfortunate because the Standard + Underground Tour is much more interesting.
Prices for Standard Tour in Palace of Parliament Bucharest:
Adult: 60 lei/person (around 13 euro)
Students until 26 years old: 30 lei/person
Children until 18 years old: 20 lei/person
When to visit the Palace of Parliament
Opening hours: Daily between 09:00 – 17:00
If you can, choose a weekday. The weekends might be a little crowded.
How to enter the Palace of Parliament
The Palace of Parliament is such a big building you might have difficulty finding the correct entrance for tourists.
The gate you’re looking for is on Izvor Street, next to “Palatul Parlamentului” bus station on bus route 385. At the gate, the security guards will direct you to the entrance for tourists. There are also signs to guide tourists.
Because of the strategic importance of the Palace of Parliament, expect a thorough check-up at the entrance, like the ones in airports. Security will scan your luggage for guns and other dangerous items.
By the way, the tourist entrance is a secondary one, in the lateral of the building. For the best photos, keep in mind the face of the building is the one you can see from Unirii Square.
You can also explore the Palace of Parliament through a virtual tour although the experience may not compare to the real thing. There’s much to learn and experience about the palace, but it’s best to discover it yourself.
You might also want to visit The Spring Palace (the house of Ceusescu).
