The Most Evil Building in Europe

Step-by-Step Tutorial: Building the Palace of the Parliament

Step 1: Background and Planning

1. The Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, Romania, was built by Nicolae Ceaușescu as part of a grand plan to centralize power and create a socialist capital.
2. The construction of the palace was initiated after a devastating earthquake in 1977, which led Ceaușescu to propose building a new capital in the city center.
3. Ceaușescu's plan included three main sections: the Casa Poporului (People's House), administrative buildings, and a boulevard lined with luxury apartments.

Step 2: Site Selection and Demolition

1. Ceaușescu chose Arsenal Hill as the location for the palace due to its safety from earthquakes, despite the need to demolish an entire intact neighborhood.
2. The Communist Party implemented systematization laws to convert villages into urban areas, leading to the destruction of thousands of homes and the relocation of families.
3. Ceaușescu ordered the destruction of over ten thousand homes and forcibly evicted more than fifty thousand families to create a blank canvas for construction.

Step 3: Design and Construction

1. An architect named Anca Petrescu presented designs for the palace, influenced by North Korean architecture, which Ceaușescu approved.
2. The construction of the palace involved meticulous details, including changing column styles, window shapes, and floor numbers multiple times as per Ceaușescu's preferences.
3. Local materials were predominantly used for construction, with the palace requiring vast amounts of marble, cement, steel, wood, crystal, carpet, and leather.
4. Anca Petrescu oversaw a team of 700 architects and thousands of workers working around the clock to complete the construction.

Step 4: Palace Features and Infamous Legacy

1. The Palace of the Parliament is one of the largest administrative buildings globally, with over a thousand rooms, 14 floors, and an atomic bunker and tunnel system.
2. Ceaușescu's extravagant construction of the palace contrasted with the austerity imposed on Romanian households, showcasing his authoritarian rule.
3. Despite Ceaușescu's vision, the palace remained unfinished as he and his wife were sentenced to death, leaving the fate of the building uncertain.

Step 5: Legacy and Current Use

1. Various suggestions were made for the palace's use, including demolition, conversion to a casino or theme park, but it eventually became the home of the Romanian Parliament.
2. The Palace of the Parliament is now the largest parliament building globally and serves as a reminder of Romania's communist past and centralized control.
3. The building's horizontal axis is still used by ministries, the square hosts concert venues, and the boulevard remains, albeit with different occupants than originally intended.

By following these steps, you can understand the history, construction, and legacy of the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, Romania, known as one of the most infamous buildings in Europe.