I will hold your attention for a few minutes for a landmark that provoked the most diverse reactions, from repulsion to admiration.
It is about the Palace of the Parliament, a construction known before 1989 as the House of the Republic or the House of the People.
From a technical point of view, the objective measures 270m by 240m, it is 86m high and 92m underground, being made in the spirit of realistic socialist architecture. It has 9 levels over the ground and 9 underground.
According to World Records Academy, the Palace of the Parliament is:
- the second-largest, as area, administrative building for civilian use in the world
- the most expensive administrative building in the world
- the heaviest building in the world (1,000,000 m³ of marble + 700,000 tons of steel and bronze + 3,500 tons of crystal)
From a psychological point of view, some people, unfortunately even Romanians considered the building to be a horror and a shame. However, beyond the political view, the Palace of the Parliament is a pride and a title of glory for our country. But you need to go there to better understand these words.
After the devastating earthquake of 1977, Nicolae Ceausescu ordered the “reconstruction” of Bucharest, organizing in the following years a national competition aimed, in theory, at consolidating the city.
This project to rebuild the capital included a series of buildings such as the Palace of the Parliament – House of the Republic, Ministry of National Defense, Radio House, Marriot Hotel – Guest House, House of the Romanian Academy, Izvor Park, and Unirii Boulevard – Socialism Victory.
The Competition for the House of the People was held separately and lasted 4 years and was won by Anca Petrescu – a young 28 years old architect, who was named chief architect of this exceptionally controversial project.
In some documentaries, it is said that the young architect won only because, due to lack of experience, designed this huge architectural disaster to satisfy the thirst of grandiosity of Ceausescu.
The architect worked all her life on this construction, with several years interruptions after the 1989 revolution.
The construction site began in the 1980s with the demolition of over 7km² of the old center of Bucharest (about a quarter) and the relocation of over 40,000 people from this area. Among the destroyed buildings, in addition to the approximately 10,000 homes, are the Văcărești Monastery, the Brâncovenesc Hospital, the Unirii Warehouses, the National Archives, the Republic Stadium, and others, most being part of the former Uranus district of Bucharest.
In 1989 the total construction costs of the building were estimated at 1.75 billion us dollars, and in 2006 the recalculated amount was at 3 billion euros.
For the construction of this imposing building were used:
- 1.000.000 m³ of marble
- 5.500 tons of cement
- 700.000 tons of steel and bronze
- 2.000.000 tons of sand
- 1.000tons of basalt
- 900.000 m³ of wood essences
- 3.500 tons of crystal
- 200.000 m³ of glass
- 15.000 chandeliers
- 220.000 m² of carpets
- 3.500 m² of leather
The building has about 1000 rooms, of which 440 offices, over 30 halls and lounges, 4 restaurants, 3 libraries, 2 underground parking lots, a concert hall.
The main institutions it hosts are the Chamber of Deputies, the Senate, the Legislative Council, and the Constitutional Court. So, although it was built to celebrate communism, it is used today in the service of democracy.
The palace is open for tourists and offers visiting programs in several languages. Details regarding the visit options can be found at: www.cic.cdep.ro.
No wonder that, after learning the story, tourists want to see this landmark, and after they get there, they are all, with good reason, extremely impressed.
Catherine Lalumière, General Secretary of the European Council, whom I met several times at the continental forum, said of this landmark: So long is the road that Romania traveled since my first visit 4 years ago in February 1990! You even managed to tame this enormous palace, a megalomaniac palace, but a Romanian masterpiece.
