Romania's Palutul Parlamentului

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The Palatul Parlamentului. The Palace of Parliament. After the pentagon, the largest administrative building in the world - using square footage for the measure. And the third largest in the world by cubic footage, right behind Cape Canaveral. Right here in Bucharest. And visible from the balcony of my apartment!

In the 1984, the former Romanian dictator, Ceaşescu, had a vision of this immense Casa Poporului (House of the People). But at the time it was more popularly known as the Casa Nebunului (Madman’s House)! Ceaşescu had one fifth of the historic heart of old Bucharest razed, housing the former inhabitants of the district in tiny apartments that forced them to turn their dogs out on the street - a problem to this very day as packs of dogs still wander the streets. But the project put 4000 architects to work. And 20,000 construction workers - often military conscripts.

It's an ornate, gaudy and ostentatious showplace - made entirely of Romanian materials, with attention to traditional woodworking and design. Marble and gold leaf abound - along with the beautiful woodworking! It has 4500 chandeliers (original plans called for 11,000)! The largest of the chandeliers weighs in at one and a half tons! There are 1100 rooms - the largest of which, Sala Unirii (Unification Hall), has a sliding roof wide enough to allow a helicopter to land in the room! It has 12 stories above ground, another eight below! How many more exclamation marks can I use in one paragraph?!

Deep breath.

After the 1989 fall of the communist dictatorship, the nearly finished building was a white elephant that no one knew what to do with. Thoughts of imploding it, symbolic perhaps of the fall of the regime, proved to be too expensive. Thoughts of it housing a museum of communism fell short. Finally, in 1994, plans were finalized to house the Senate and Parliament, and an international conference/concert/exhibition center in the massive edifice.

And thus it was that the building was preserved. And legendary Romanian gymnast, Nadie Comaneci, was able to celebrate her nuptial vows there in 1996.

Oh, and it's served as the set for a movie or two. Some beautiful religious paintings hang in one hall. But upon closer inspection you recognize the poor quality of these works. They’re left over from when that hall was used as the Vatican for a film!

My next time there will be June 6. But I’ll not enter the building. Once was enough. That night instead, the Palatul Parlamentului will serve as the backdrop for a concert. Sting, live in Bucharest on his Symphonicity tour!

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