The Palace of the Parliament was originally called "House of the Republic" and it is the most spectacular Romanian project carried out under the dictatorship of Nicolae Ceauseșcu. Located in Bucharest Romania, the building is an essential piece of Romanian history. The Palace of the Parliament was constructed between 1984 and 1997, and it dominates the city's landscape due to its monumental dimensions. It is the largest administrative building in the world at 240 meters in length, 270 meters in width, and 84 meters tall. At the same time, it is the world's second-largest after the Pentagon in terms of area.
The Palace has 12 stories and eight underground levels, the last one being an atomic bunker. One of Nicolae Ceaușescu's fears was a nuclear war, so he had the bunker linked to the main state institutions through 20km of tunnels, as well as to several residential apartments. The bunker also had direct telephone communication with all military units in Romania. The Palace of the Parliament is also the heaviest building in the world. Due to its enormous dimensions, the building sinks by 6mm each year. After the Romanian Revolution in 1989, the Palace became widely known as "People's House" or "People's Palace" ("Casa Poporului").
Building the Palace of the Parliament (People's Palace) was part of Nicolae Ceaușescu's plan to reconstruct Bucharest, named Project Bucharest. He developed it after the terrible earthquake in 1977, and it was intended to be a replica of Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. Ceaușescu visited China and North Korea in 1971, and he was very impressed by the cult of personality surrounding Mao Zedong and Kim Il-Sung. In constructing the Palace of the Parliament, between 20,000 and 100,000 people were appointed to the project. However, thousands of them have died, with some specialists estimating the numbers being as high as 3,000. The building was designed by a team of 700 architects, under the direction of chief architect Anca Petrescu.
Palace of the Parliament
As a socialist country in Eastern Europe, at the time the Palace was built, it was meant to symbolize the triumph of communism in Romania while being an emblematic home of the Ceausescu family – this is why all the rooms are oversized and hyper-ornate. In fact, its opulence and ostentatious décor make it the most expensive administrative building in the world, with an estimated value of over three billion euro. The events of December 1989, culminating with the overthrow of the communist regime, changed the purpose of the People's House, from a palace fit for a dictator-president into the seat of democratic government.
Today, the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest is an administrative building that hosts the Parliament of Romania, with its Chamber of Deputies, the Palace of the Chamber of Deputies, and the Romanian Senate. The impressive building also houses one of the most important art museums in Bucharest, the National Museum of Contemporary Art since 2004.
Located in the city center, the building is also a famous tourist attraction, as you can visit the Palace in guided tours while visiting Bucharest, or as part of a full-day Bucharest city tour. The day tour works as a sightseeing tour as well and includes tourist attractions such as the Village Museum "Dimitri Gusti".
If you are more interested in the socialist period of Bucharest and Romania, we have this communist tour of Bucharest for you. These tours will give you the chance to discover more about the communist regime in Romania, as well as about the life of Nicolae Ceaușescu.
The Palace of the Parliament is also used for vibrant light shows during the iMapp competition or during the days of the city.
Open every day from 10.00 a.m. until 16.00 p.m.
I. Standard Tour - 25 LEI/person.
II. Overview of the city - Terrace Tour (Access by Elevator) - 15 LEI/person.
III. Underground Tour (access only on stairs) - 10 LEI/person.
IV. Standard Tour + Overview of the city - Terrace (Upper Floor Access by Elevator) - 35 LEI/person.
V. Standard Tour + Underground (access only on stairs) - 30 LEI/person.
VI. Standard Tour + Overview of the city (Terrace) + Underground - 45 LEI/person.
Students
(age 18-26 years, with valid student ID card).
I. Standard Tour - 13 LEI/person.
II. Overview of the city - Terrace Tour (Access by Elevator) - 8 LEI/person.
III. Underground Tour (access only on stairs) - 5 LEI/person.
IV. Standard Tour + Overview of the city - Terrace (Upper Floor Access by Elevator) - 18 LEI/person.
V. Standard Tour + Underground (access only on stairs) - 15 LEI/person.
VI. Standard Tour + Overview of the city (Terrace) + Underground - 23 LEI/person.
Free admissions:
- children under 7, pupils under 18 (who have their pupil card on them).
- persons with disabilities (with documentary evidence) and an accompanying person.
Wheelchair access: recommended - by prior arrangement.
Filming/Photography:
- Photo camera: 30 LEI
- Video camera: 30 LEI
Professional photo shooting: 100 EURO/hour.
Professional film shooting: 5000 EURO/hour.
Access: only with an identification document (identity card, passport).