In the very center of Bucharest is the famous Ceausescu Palace, now called the Palace of Parliament. The palace occupies an entire block, its dimensions are 270 by 240 meters, and its height is 86 meters. This is the largest administrative building in the world - its area is as much as 350,000 square meters. It is also the heaviest civil administrative building in the world.
The style of the palace is reminiscent of Stalin's Empire style - it seems that the palace was built around 30-50 years, but in fact its construction began only in 1984 on the personal order of Ceausescu. “Great Conductor”, “Genius of the Carpathians”, “Spruce”, “Prince Charming”, “Navigator” (all these are epithets that Romanian writers of the communist years awarded Ceausescu) decided to build a palace in the very center of Bucharest on Sinai Hill, for which they were destroyed a fifth of the historical center of Bucharest, including many architectural monuments. In parallel with the palace, several residential buildings in the same style were built, intended for those close to Ceausescu.
In 1989, dictator Ceausescu was executed, and his palace remained partially unfinished. During today's walk we will walk through the halls of the Ceausescu Palace, go down into the unfinished basements, and also look at the ruins of administrative buildings from the communist years that still stand in Bucharest.
02. This is what the palace looks like up close - the wide street Bulevardul Unirii leads to it, which is something like an alley with fountains. We will still see the road from the upper floors of the palace.
03. The nearby blocks are occupied by residential buildings built in the same style as the palace - apartments in these houses were intended for the party leadership of communist Romania and those close to Ceausescu. What’s interesting is that some buildings are not completely completed—you can still see here and there walls made of unplastered bricks and dark gaps of unglazed windows.
04. There are lanterns installed around the palace in the same style as the palace - some are in very poor condition.
05. Close-up photo of the palace fence - the palace itself and the fence around it were built from something similar.
06. Let's go inside. The palace greets you with the coolness of its marble halls and the colossal volumes of internal spaces.
07. Bronze sconces with Romanian crystal pendants.
08. One of the meeting rooms, built like a theater - with a stage (a shot was taken from it) and several tiers of seats for spectators.
09. Chandelier under the ceiling, also Romanian crystal.
10. Railing. Ceausescu’s special pride was that all the materials from which the palace was built were Romanian. The construction of such a colossus caused a significant shortage of building materials in the country, but everyone could tell that Romania would never kneel down and buy American cement.
11. Staircase to the upper floors with bronze railings. Like many other rooms of the palace, everything here is decorated with marble - so much of it was spent on the construction of the Palace of the "Genius of the Carpathians" that in the late eighties even tombstones had to be made from other materials - marble became a terrible shortage.
12. A passage hall, in which there are now stands with national Romanian clothing, and on the left there is something like a television studio, where some politicians of modern Romania often give interviews.
13. Door knob made of bronze.
14. One of the meeting rooms.
15. Marble corridors.
16. Let's go out to the palace terrace - it is located at an altitude of about 50 meters, and it offers good views of the city.
17. On the terrace you can see ventilation ducts palace
18. And storm drains covered with metal gratings.
19. View towards the city - the street is called Bulevardul Unirii, this is the same boulevard that was laid along with the construction of the palace, destroying part of historical city. I don’t care about history - the “Great Conductor” was supposed to contemplate the fountains in the morning.
21. And here it is - another meeting room, no longer reminiscent of a theater, but of a Catholic cathedral.
22. Do you know what amazes you most about the Navigator palace? Some kind of terrible anachronism. It’s hard to get rid of the feeling that he dreamed of such a building since his youth during the Stalinist years.
23. And if in Moscow of the 1930s such luxury and pompousness can still be somehow understood, then in Romania of the late 1980s it looks funny and absurd.
24. The palace looks like a grandmother who bought a dress in her youth, kept it in her wardrobe for 50 years and finally decided to wear it and go out - not noticing that the lace flounces now cause not envy, but a grin, and the dress itself has faded and smells like mothballs.
25. The luxury of the palace is gradually crumbling and crumbling, the cracking marble floors are bashfully covered with plaster.
26. An empty wardrobe, looking exactly the same as in some Soviet theater.
27. Toilet. The “great conductors” also went to pee from time to time.
28. In the toilet there is a balcony on which there is some kind of ancient and forgotten mop.
29. Now let's go down to the basements of the palace. A narrow technical staircase leads there, no longer decorated with marble, more reminiscent of a staircase to some kind of nuclear bunker. The basements themselves are in quite poor condition - it is clear that the palace did not have time to finish. Here they are gray concrete walls no finishing, some construction marks.
30. Cable routes are hidden behind one of the doors.
31. Behind the other is a construction workbench and traces of some unfinished work.
32. Heating mains and garlands of electrical cables pass through the basement.
33. There are piles of broken bricks lying in the corners.
34. And construction waste.
35. On the back side of the palace there are open sewer hatches.
36. In which, apparently, homeless people now live.
37. And a few blocks from the palace there are two unfinished administrative buildings, which began to be built along with the palace, but were never finished.
38. The buildings turned out to be unnecessary for the new Romania - they were not completed, they were simply surrounded by a high, blank fence “as is” and surveillance cameras were installed.
39. The huge colossi of the Soviet era look at the world through the empty eye sockets of their windows and doorways. The decor is gradually crumbling - rain and snow are doing their job.
40. Visible in front of buildings metal piles— it was probably planned to build something else here.
42. Rusty I-beams.
43. Modern Romanians are reluctant to remember the Ceausescu era, preferring to talk about the future rather than the past.
From communism, few interesting ruins remain here.
Do you know what is the largest building in the world after the Pentagon? This is the Palace of Parliament in Bucharest. Today it is the main attraction of Romania. In the past, it was a symbol of despotism and oppression, hated by the inhabitants of the country. What didn’t you like about this magnificent architectural structure? What place does the modern Palace of Parliament occupy in the life of the city and country?
His place is ruins and tears...
The decision to build the palace was made in 1980. The bright idea of erecting a government district - a symbol of the communist regime - belonged to the Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. It was planned to build not only the palace building, but also other government institutions, from the Ministry of Defense to a hotel. According to Ceausescu's ambitious plan, the "Civic Center" (the name given by communist propaganda) was supposed to symbolize his unlimited power.
Construction began in 1983. To make room for work, it was necessary to destroy the old part of the city, destroy several churches and architectural monuments, and resettle more than 40 thousand people. In addition, only Romanian materials were suitable for the palace. So Ceausescu decided to prove the self-sufficiency and power of the country.
Such a global construction project could not but affect the economic situation of Romania, where people lacked food. On construction site More than four hundred architects and twenty thousand workers worked, among whom were mainly conscripts and military builders. The construction of the palace cost the Romanians several hundred lives.
By the time of Ceausescu's overthrow and execution (1989), the Palace of Parliament had not yet been completed. They even wanted to demolish the symbol of the hated system. But they decided to continue construction. And although even today the work is not 100% completed, the Palace of Parliament is open to visitors.
Why was the Palace of Parliament included in the Guinness Book of Records?
Today the palace building houses the seat of the Romanian Parliament, branches of several universities, the Constitutional Court, the Museum of Modern Art, restaurants and libraries. The area of this landmark in Bucharest is 330,000 m2. The length of the main facade is 270 m. There are two courtyards, 12 floors above ground, 8 floors underground. It will take several days to walk through all the rooms. Appearance palace - typical example communist worldview. The goal is to suppress everyone around you. It is for these oppressive dimensions that the Palace of Parliament is included in the Guinness Book of Records.
Another attraction is the Cotroceni Palace, which is one of the ten must-see places when traveling to Bucharest.
Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest on the map of Bucharest
Do you know what is the largest building in the world after the Pentagon? This is the Palace of Parliament in Bucharest. Today it is the main attraction of Romania. In the past, it was a symbol of despotism and oppression, hated by the inhabitants of the country. What was not to your liking about this magnificent architectural structure? What place does the modern Palace of Parliament occupy in the life of the city and country?
(1918-1989)
The pink life of a red billionaire
Nicolae was equally committed to luxury and socialism. He lost both.
Only a very unkind person could reproach the Conductor for his gigantic fortune. Everyone knows that private property has been abolished in the countries of the communist paradise, and therefore to speak of Ceausescu as a “red billionaire” - as some did - would be pure slander.
Nicolae Ceausescu - Cash-strapped billionaire
Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu, purebred proletarians, unbending representatives of the most magnanimous teaching - Marxism-Leninism - aroused the admiration of left-wing intellectuals all over the world with their dedication to the struggle for social justice, for the emancipation of peoples and for human rights. Being exemplary fighters with impeccable revolutionary ethics, they did not have a single penny of their own in their pockets. They never owned the elegant yachts on which they plied the seas, nor the magnificent palaces left over from the hated times of the Hohenzollerns and requisitioned by them in order to settle their offspring and relatives there, nor the more modest residences where they received Georges Marchais and other humanists such same damage, dedicated to the righteous cause of protecting the poor. Everything, absolutely everything, was the property of the victorious, liberated and flourishing working class. According to experts
Ceausescu's personal fortune, excluding the official residences, cars, etc. simply placed at his disposal, was estimated at approximately 200 million francs.
Mobile showcase of communism
For this reason, Ceausescu had no reason to reproach himself, although he had in his hands one of the largest fortunes on the entire planet, because it did not belong to him. They simply lent it to him, and it was assumed that after him this fortune would pass to Niko, his son and crown prince, and then to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren - this will already be when the shining star of communism and universal equality rises, thanks to him, above the whole world. In a word, this fortune was just an instrument entrusted to him so that he could worthily bear his unbearable burden as the leader of the proletarian revolution; state - as a function of the work performed. Career
Let's name two dates in Ceausescu's political ascent: 1965 - elected general secretary communist party Romania, 1967 - President.
The hard difficulty of this craft
However, a difficult task fell to his lot. After all, Ceausescu alone had to embody all the wonders of communism, and this had to be done not only in front of the rotten and obviously unfriendly capitalist world, but also in front of those fraternal countries that were overtaken by perestroika and where many comrades were already wondering whether there were any left The wonderful future of communism is far behind us. But how could the Conductor pay visits to the heads of Western countries in the same clothes that his compatriots wore, in other words, in shabby suits, worn-out shoes and gabardine raincoats, as unfashionable as Marxist ideology? Could he have received Georges Marchais in a new building on the outskirts of Bucharest? Of course not. This would be an insult to the entire working class.
Knowing the capitalist world like the back of his hand, he understood that they only lend money to the rich, and he had to borrow a lot in order to somehow correct the damage caused to him. economic policy. And in order to inspire confidence, it was necessary to monitor your appearance. And that’s why, like a bankrupt businessman who carefully hides his poverty in order to gain trust, he pointedly exposed his wealth to everyone. His closets were filled with mink coats, his safes were decorated with precious stones, garages with sports cars, and bathrooms with porcelain toilets. Perhaps this was the way to win the trust of Western investors.
Heart is on the left and wallet is on the West
Of course, some bores wondered why, with such prospects, he had accounts opened in Swiss banks, and American dollars and German marks transferred there, but not Soviet rubles. But such blasphemous questions invariably irritated senior left-wing democrats and socialists, and they tried to avoid answering. If Comrade Ceausescu is rich, this means that his wealth benefits the proletarians, and in general, money corrupts people only in a rotten capitalist system. Who doesn't know this!
communist king
So, the Conductor enjoyed all the benefits that wealth brought him, and proudly, and most importantly, unconsciously ignored the silent disapproval, which day after day was boiling up more and more in the people, who, as he thought, were completely subordinate to him, thanks to a whole army of informers, gendarmes and policemen. The policemen were watching the gendarmes, the gendarmes were watching the policemen, and everyone was in tense anticipation of the signal that the apparatchiks would give and at which everyone would stand up as one and respond with thunderous applause to his endless, sleep-inducing speeches.
And old man Nicolae reveled in this applause and was moved by the memory of his humble entry into this life. After all, before he became a communist and moved from one crime to another, as if along the steps of a ladder, he was just an insignificant helper of a shoemaker. Thanks to Karl Marx, his whole life changed. Looking back, it seemed like some kind of fairy tale, just as his romance with Elena resembled rose-colored books.
And he never doubted for a moment that his people, sensitive souls and severely indoctrinated, would understand the beautiful story of his life.
Country houses of communist kings:
Peles Palace (former summer residence of the Hohenzallnerns); Mogoeoaya Palace; Controceni Monastery.
Ceausescu - Glory of the Ruler
Having become the supreme apparatchik of the Socialist Republic of Romania, Nicolae Ceausescu did everything possible to raise the prestige of the high position that the working class had entrusted to him. He realized that all the glory of the new Romania should be embodied in his person, understood the need for a cult of personality, in the image and likeness of Stalin and Bokassa, and little by little he turned into an all-powerful and illustrious monarch. In a state where atheism was elevated to a dogma, he began to rule as an autocrat, and his autocracy was not at all limited, since he thought that he would never have to give account to any God. So he cared about his own glory, so that its reflection would be reflected on the country.
Ceausescu -Patron of art and literature
Realizing that brilliant politics is impossible without the assistance of art, he surrounded himself with a cohort of architects, artists and poet-officials. He showered them with all sorts of blessings, placed luxurious palaces at their disposal and expressed every kind of attention to them, so that they all, as one, praised his personal merits, the brilliant merits of his wife, as well as all the benefits of socialism. And all these brilliant creators, thirsty for his further favors, tried their best. Since irony was a very dangerous weapon during the era of his enlightened reign, they, without even smiling, wove laurel wreaths in his honor and came up with thousands of different nicknames, which the press immediately picked up.
If ordinary Romanians were most likely inclined to compare him with Dracula, the press turned the Conductor into the “Danube of Thought,” into the “Lighthouse,” into a “multilateral leader.” And so the museums little by little were filled with his portraits and souvenirs he collected, the library with his philosophical works, and the squares with his sculptural images. These squares, by the way, were, on his orders, cut through with the help of bulldozers in the very thick of the ancient historical quarters of the city. At his direction, endless neoclassical facades appeared there, which would have delighted Mussolini, and which Jack Lang (a cultured man and, as you know, a minister) looked at with envy, remembering the troubles the Parisians caused him just because of one ill-fated pyramid .
Ceausescu - Red Cardinal
As for Helena, she was glorified no less than her brilliant husband. “You are our icon, who inspired us from the first moments of our lives,” the poet excitedly addressed her, eager to get ahead as quickly as possible. The flattery was too rude, but the wife of the Danube of Thought liked it and seemed completely justified, and since Elena did not like competition, she began with redoubled energy to ensure that not a single icon of the Most Pure Virgin remained in those rare churches, who were spared by the bulldozer of socialism.
I must say, this icon-painting person was a woman with character. Being, in fact, a real eminence grise of this regime, she simultaneously occupied several high positions and used them very skillfully; as Minister of Culture, she emptied museums to furnish her residences; while distributing government positions, she gave key positions to both sons, daughter and cousins; having risen, thanks to her husband, to the international pinnacle of science, she published scientific works, which amused scientists all over the world until they dropped. And, tirelessly making sure that the life of her fellow citizens was as orderly as possible, she fought in every possible way against obscurantism and showed remarkable initiative in this area. It was to her that the Romanians owed a diet with carefully calculated calories, a regime that would certainly have starved them if Nicolae's economic policy had not taken on this task a little earlier.
Sic Transit gloria mundi!
A certain old woman was tasked with making a list of all this household property. There is no end in sight to her work!
The end of a beautiful dream
All this collapsed one fine day in 1989, when the people decided not to listen to the signals of their apparatchiks anymore. Instead of the usual applause, impudent whistles began to be heard. The people finally spoke, first with the voice of their hearts, then with the voice of weapons. The rosy romance of the red billionaires drowned, as we know, in a bloodbath. Armed rebels entered the palaces and residences of the Carpathian monster. Amazed by the luxury that appeared to their wide-open eyes, as if they were in the caves of Ali Baba, the hungry children of the Bucharest suburbs lay down on the bed of the communist billionaire. They looked with indignation at his writing utensils made of pure gold, and took pictures with laughter in his bathroom on a porcelain toilet.
The Ceausescu Palace is the world's largest civil administrative building, the largest parliament building (with an area of 350,000 square meters and a volume of 2,550,000 square meters) and also the heaviest building in the world. For a long time The Palace of Parliament was the second largest building in the world by area after the Pentagon. The palace was originally called the House of the People, but in the post-communist era it was renamed the Palace of Parliament. Despite this, many still call him by his former name.
The dimensions of the Ceausescu Palace are 270 by 240 m. The height is 86 m. The underground part of the palace has a height of 92 m. The palace has 1100 rooms, 12 floors. 4 underground levels have been completed and are already in use, and 4 more levels are at various stages of completion. About a million m2 were spent on construction. marble mainly from Ruškica, 3500 tons of crystal (480 chandeliers, 1409 ceiling lamps and mirrors), 700 thousand tons of steel and bronze for doors, windows, chandeliers and capitals. 900 thousand square meters were also used. wood for parquet and wall panels (hazel, oak, cherry, elm, maple), 200 thousand m? wool carpets different sizes. Machines were even brought into the palace to make some of the large carpets on site. The palace building combines elements of various architectural styles and cannot be clearly classified. The palace was built on Spirius Hill, which was partially destroyed for this purpose. Construction began in 1984 on the orders of Nicolae Ceausescu. The building was originally intended as the headquarters of the main state institutions. The palace was built mainly from Romanian-made materials. During construction, there was such a demand for Romanian marble that even tombstones throughout the country were made from other materials. The construction required the destruction of a fifth of the city's historic center and caused noisy protests, as many churches were destroyed. Construction was almost completed by the time of Ceausescu's execution in 1989.
The palace is surrounded by avenues whose scale corresponds to the scale of the Palace. The Boulevard of Uniria (Unification), flanked by white multi-storey buildings, leads to its foot. Before they were built, Ceausescu ordered life-size wooden models of all the buildings to be erected along the new boulevard so that he could make sure that his plans were implemented on the proper scale.
If, having passed the first security post, you approach the Palace from the corner of the Boulevards of Freedom and National Unity, for the time being it hides its true scale.
However, upon reaching the central axis of the facade, it is impossible not to freeze. It is impossible to take in the facade while standing on the upper platform in front of the entrance.
The facades are clad in white Romanian marble with fantastic generosity
Through a series of doors we find ourselves in the building of the Ceausescu Palace
Huge chandelier in the front hall
Doors to the meeting room. There are thousands of them in the palace...
Meeting room of the Ceausescu Palace
Interior details
Interior the palace is endless and amazes with its decoration (it’s scary to imagine how much money was invested in it)
If we consider that simultaneously with the construction of the Palace (1984-1989), Comrade Ceausescu was paying off Romania’s external debt, building a metro in Bucharest and a canal on the Danube, the picture turns out to be completely terrible. Food shortages, especially protein foods, were terrible. Under Ceausescu chicken eggs(not to mention normal meat - rations provided rolled-up ribs with tendons) could not be obtained for 8 months. At the same time, Ceausescu banned contraception and abortion. It’s scary to even think about how mothers raised their children – and how many women died during illegal abortions. “If you are cold, buy a second coat!” - that’s what Ceausescu said), and the House of the People became prettier and grew. Here you can find first-class marble carvings made in national traditions
While in Bucharest, I had the opportunity to visit the most monumental of palaces. This is truly one of the most grandiose buildings in the world.
2. The palace has dimensions of 280 x 220 meters and 13 floors in the highest part. Initially, the building was crowned with a spire. And all this carries the power and pathos of the palaces of European monarchs, significantly surpassing them in scale, but not inferior in beauty.
3. In the evening the palace lights up, but the lights turn on much later than the city lighting, at 10 p.m.
4. Let's go inside. Small hall. The size is comparable to our Verkhovna Rada. The diameter of the dome is more than 30 m.
5. Of particular interest is the chandelier, inside of which there are special passages for replacing light bulbs.
6. One of the corridors of the 1st floor. Nowadays exhibitions are held here. The interior resembles the Palace of the Soviets.
7. Another corridor. The abundance of scenery is amazing. On Finishing work More than 13 thousand carloads of marble were spent. I don’t know the total cost of construction, but I suspect that these are fantastic figures.
8. Initially, the palace was conceived as the Palace of the People. Ministries were supposed to be here, The Supreme Council, concert hall, government house, and also the residence of Ceausescu. Therefore, it is incorrect to generalize this building to a personal residence. Nowadays the Parliament building is located here.
9. During the overthrow of Ceausescu, the palace was fortunately 97% ready, so he was much luckier more home Radio, National Library and some other monumental buildings, destroyed and mutilated 20 years later.
10. Some of the halls are created in the style of medieval castles of Romanian kings. Although Ceausescu was a communist, he liked to associate himself with kings. The closest he got to this was when the British Queen Elizabeth II gave him a ride around London in her carriage - unprecedented generosity. You will go to great lengths for political gain.
11. Another room. Ceausescu did not recognize air conditioning, so all ventilation in the palace is natural.
12. Marble is the most different colors and shades.
13. Foyer on the second floor.
14. Chandelier and ceiling lighting.
15. The beauty of the staircase is not inferior to the palaces of European monarchs. The height of each step is exactly 15 cm, this was one of the requirements of the customer, who sometimes came to the construction site several times a day throughout the 7 years of construction.
16. And above us there is a rosette and a glass roof.
17. From the foyer you can get into another room, where you can see ventilation grilles in the ceiling.
19. View from the balcony. A multi-kilometer green avenue with new buildings was built on the site of old city blocks.
20. One of the courtyards.
21. Another hall in the castle style, here stands round table negotiations Translator booths are visible on the left.
22. Another hall, like a transition between halls.
23. During all this time we visited only 7% of the palace area. The Great Hall of Parliament is not visited by tourists, which is a pity. It's huge. Moreover, in the palace great amount unused space. After all, in addition to the above-ground floors, there are at least 3 underground ones. And this entire incredible area (let me remind you, the dimensions of the palace are 220 by 280 meters) is empty.
24. The largest hall of the palace (not counting the meeting rooms). According to rumors, at one end of the hall there was supposed to be a portrait of Ceausescu from floor to ceiling, but opinions differ about the opposite wall. Some say that his wife Elena should have been there, while others say that there should have been a mirror there.
25. The hall is covered with a glass roof.
26. But that's not all. We get out to the high-altitude part. The elevators in the building are equipped with concierges - elevator operators, each of whom has a desk, chair and telephone. And all this inside a very spacious elevator.
27. Roof of the 10th floor. Below you can see glass roofs different halls and foyer.
28. Some kind of colonnades on the infinity of the roof of this building.
29. View from the north wing to the south.
30. Front view of Unirii Boulevard. All the buildings along the contours of the boulevards were built under Ceausescu as part of his grandiose plan to rebuild the city. Particularly evil rumors say that before construction he demanded the construction of life-size models of all buildings.
31. Across the river on the right is the mutilated building of the national library.
She used to look like this. But someone really didn't like the classic 1989 façade.
32. The concept of rebuilding Bucharest appeared after the 1977 earthquake, when many buildings were declared unsafe and demolished. Apart from demolition indeed emergency houses, space was being cleared for new avenues and the People's Palace. Churches were lifted with jacks and moved into the courtyards of future houses. We see the domes of one of them in the photo.
33. In total, Bucharest has lost a quarter of its historical buildings. A lot of space has been cleared around the palace to create perspective. And there are still many vacant lots around the palace, some of which have been replaced by parks.
34. The roof of the palace is a wonderful observation deck. In addition to the height of 10 floors, and, as we have seen, not simple, but very high, the palace itself stands on an artificial hill.
35. View of the cable-stayed bridge.
Original taken from