The most iconic building in the city of Bucharest, a symbol of the display of power of a political regime, and a reminder of the sacrifices that need to be made to make such a giant statement.
A building of superlatives
1100 rooms, 20.000 people working day in day out, 700 architects, 220.000 square meters of carpets, 9.000 building demolished for the new administrative center, and tunnels over tunnels with legends and conspiracies. It is the 5th largest building in the world in terms of volume and at one point was the second. I would like to remind everyone we are not the second largest economy in the world.
A story worth telling
So many legends, so little time to tell all the stories. But here are some related to the process of building it:
Anca Petrescu the architect of the building, had to show up with a plan for the building, so she was competing with all these architects that showed up with simple, decluttered plans while she shows up with a big model, with rooms where you could see the inside of the building. So of course Ceausescu chose the thing that sparked his imagination the most and the project that was the most ambitious.
Little did she know that once she started the project Ceausescu started asking for things added or changed, asking for bigger entrances, or even a nuclear bunker. What makes it weirder is that they build an extra one just to impress the person with the most power.
Experiencing
Imagine going inside the back part of the building where you have MNAC (The Museum of Contemporary Art) visiting just a fragment of the building, and it takes you around 4 hours. A room that is 30m tall decorated with plenty of marble and crystal chandeliers. 99.9% of materials used in this building are made in Romania. And a hallway that was supposed to be smaller, but the dictator wanted it changed because he wanted it bigger. This building of superlatives is an experience in and of itself, it’s not Versailles, but it’s the perspective of a dictator on how communist Versailles should look.
Architectural curiosity
It has neoclasical elements with the Greek/Roman-style columns but with big totalitarian energy in the construction. Plenty of ornate rooms with wonderful glass ceilings or great woodwork. But overall a massive building that is just there…
Help to pay the maintenance of the building
Maintenance cost just to keep the building standing is more than 8 million euros… If you account for the fact that you need to heat up and cool down rooms according to the season… then you will have a bad day. 2 million euros just for the electricity bill this year…
A giant question mark “?”
27 people died building this colossus, but the cover-ups of the regime will not account for the real numbers. 2 billion dollars was the estimated cost in 1989, so if you account for inflation, it would cost more than 5 billion dollars to build today.
Why do I like it?
It is a story of the Romanian people. The ability to build something grand but without a clear purpose and trying to make something of it. This building hosts the museum of contemporary art, multiple shows (this December there are a couple Christmas concerts indoors), and once-a-year light shows on the building itself. In other words, it is a canvas to project our ideas, hopes, and dreams and repair the past for a better future.
Sources used: https://www.romanianmonasteries.org/ro/romania/palatul-parlamentului
.https://www.fanatik.ro/palatul-parlamentului-utilitati-factura-reparatii-19867864
Dracula's Guide to Romania 
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