Uzbekistan - Samarkand Registan Square
Foto: The enormous parliament building (bron: Ronald van der Veer)
Romania - On the opposite side of the Dâmbovița River stands the Parliament building. It is the second-largest building in the world—only the Pentagon in the United States is larger. Dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu ordered the construction of this massive structure in 1984. When he was overthrown and sentenced to death in 1989, the building was still not finished. It was decided to complete the structure, as many of the required materials had already been ordered. Construction was completed in 1997. From the six-kilometer-long boulevard, we can already see the Parliament building. We walk toward it. At three o'clock, we have a guided tour reserved. Since the building is so large and we’re unsure which entrance to use, we allow some extra time. A taxi driver in the square in front of the building points us to the right side. Moments later, we enter the Palatul Parlamentului. Arina welcomes us for the tour. First, our passports are scanned, followed by an airport-style security check. The building was designed by a then 21-year-old woman. More than 700 architects worked on its construction. The work continued 24/7 in shifts. Arina shows us the grand halls, various conference rooms, and the massive ballroom. This room spans more than 1,000 square meters and is an astonishing 19 meters high. Everything in the building is oversized. It’s almost surreal to think that something like this was designed so recently. Via the grand staircases, we reach the balcony. From here, the boulevard is clearly visible—it’s even longer than the Champs-Élysées in Paris. It’s unimaginable how many homes were cleared to make this massive project possible. At the end of the tour, Arina tells us we’ve walked two kilometers inside the building and that we’ve seen less than five percent of it.
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