Of all the buildings in a city that catch the sight of fellow travellers, the most important one perhaps is the parliament of a country. NewsMobile takes you inside what we think are the world’s ten most beautiful parliaments/administrative buildings.
The Hungarian Parliament, Budapest
The seat of the National Assembly of Hungary, the Hungarian parliament resides in the bank of Danube river and is one of Budapest’s most famous landmarks. After having been completed in 1904, the building still stands to be the tallest and largest building in Budapest. Moreover, this landmark is also the oldest legislative building in Europe.
The Palace of Westminster, London – The meeting place of the Houses of Parliament of the UK, this landmark resides on the bank of River Thames, and is alongside the famous Big Ben, one of London’s most famous attractions and landmarks of Europe.
The Capitol, Washington DC – is the seat of the United States Congress, and is located on top of Capitol Hill. The construction for this began in 1793 and completed in 1800. Set at the top of Capitol Hill, this picturesque landmark is the place where some of world shaping decisions are made.
The Reichstag, Berlin – Since 1999 the Reichstag has been a meeting place of the German Parliament. Called the Bundestag — the constitutional and legislative body — in Germany. This building has close ties with the history Germany has had since the past 120 years. Visitors in Germany can also visit this famous tourist attraction, the Glass Dome of the Reichstag.
Centre Block, Ottawa – The Parliament of Canada sit is the Canadian parliamentary complex on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. The Centre Block is the main building of that complex. It houses the House of Commons and Senate chambers, as well as many offices of senators, members of parliament and senior administration for both legislative houses. What makes this building architecturally beautiful is the Centre Block, a huge clock tower that is in the center of the building.
The Secretariat Building, New Delhi – is the seat of the Cabinet Secretariat, which administers the Government of India. Built in the 1910s, the Secretariat buildings are actually two blocks (North Block and South Block) of symmetrical buildings.
Binnenhof, The Hague, Netherlands – is one of the world’s oldest buildings that is still in use. The Binnehof has many buildings, the first of which were built in the 13th century, and became the political centre of the Dutch Republic in 1584. Besides being the Prime Minister and the Ministry of General Affairs, this building is also the meeting place of both the houses of the parliament.
The Palace of Parliament, Bucharest – houses both chambers of the Romanian Parliament. This is the largest parliament building of the world, and the largest civilian building with an administrative function. Moreover, it is also the most expensive building and even the heaviest building.
Houses of Parliament, Cape Town – These Houses of Parliament are distinct because they consist of three different sections that are built in different times: original building from the end of the 19th century, second building from the 1920s, and the final building built in the 1980s.
Beehive, Wellington, New Zealand – is the Executive Wing of the New Zealand Parliament Buildings complex. It;s named the beehive for the construction of the building resembles the shape of the beehive. The height of the building is 72 metres.