At the heart of the historical and geographical centre of Bucharest stands an impressive building that strikes the eye by its particular style. It is the Palace of the Romanian Parliament, a "giant" built during the "golden age" of the dictatorial regime and born in the mind of a man for whom the notion of "reasonable size" did not exist.
 

The Guinness Book of World Records lists the building in second place according to its surface after the Pentagon building, and in third place according to its volume. Still, there is a "first place" no other building in the whole world could compete for, namely that of the most disputed one, as no other construction has, until nowadays, been the target of such a great number of epithets, varying from "genius" to "monstrous".

Built and rebuilt overnight, the construction was proceeded while many Romanians experienced a period of deprivation. After December 1989, the building which may easily be spotted wherever you are in Bucharest, was considered to be hideous and became subject to the most original ideas. Some, filled with revolutionary excitement, agreed that it should be demolished (with the help of dynamite), as it stood for the symbol of communism. Others agreed that it could accommodate a museum of communism. There were also others, more extravagant, who talked about rolling dice on green tables, roulette... But the Palace was not to be a casino! Realizing its enormous value, in fact a Romanian inheritance in danger of being destroyed and robbed, people began to view the building with less hostility and named it the "People's House".
 

Consequently, the builders resumed their work and, as the works were carried on, it was decided that the construction should lodge the house the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of Romania, and that it should change its name to the "Palace of Parliament" - a symbol of democracy.
 

The Palace of Parliament is also open all days of the week for visits by groups of tourists. Anyone visiting the Palace of Parliament designed and built at great cost, effort and sacrifice by Romanian specialists and the whole of Romanian industry, comes to realize that this is not a palace from

“Arabian Nights”, but a real one, displaying the true wealth of Romania: stone, marble and wood from the Romanian mountains and forests.
 

Consequently, talking today about the architectural ensemble of the Palace of Parliament implies bringing moral justice to the Romanian people, and many foreigners have already agreed upon it. Among them:
 

Jean Paul Carteron - Chairman and Founder of the Crans Montana Forum: "The Romanian art and the Romanian's creativity have been gathered in this magnificent building, after years and years, at the price of great sacrifices and against any logic. Let us forget today the "one" who ordered it and let us praise the "one" who created it."
 

Catherine Lalumière - Secretary General of the Council of Europe: "It has been a long way Romania covered during the last four years, since my first visit here in February 1990. You have even succeeded in taming this huge palace, the construction of a megalomaniac, but, at the same time, a masterpiece of the Romanian people."

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Sources of information and photos::

http://www.cdep.ro/pls/dic/site.page?id=27

http://www.csnmeridian.ro/galerie_foto/ro/7

http://www.unece.org

http://www.bucharest-life.com/bucharest/palace-of-parliament

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Bucharest_The_Palace_of_the_Parliament.jpg

http://travel.ciao.co.uk/product_images_view.php?ProduktId=6255791&CurrentImage=39331205

http://picasaweb.google.com

http://www.travbuddy.com/