Government Building sights in Europe
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KGB Building
This yellow neoclassical building occupies an entire block and its ominous, temple-like Corinthian portal looks down over Independence Square (ploshcha Nezalezhnastsi). On the opposite side of the street is a long, narrow park with a bust of terror-monger Felix Dzerzhinsky, the founder of the KGB's predecessor, the Cheka.
The downing of his statue in Moscow was one of the defining moments of the breakup of the USSR in 1991; this is one of the world's last remaining statues to the person responsible for much bloodshed.
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Former Residence of Enver Hoxha
Nestled between Parku Kombëtar (a public park), the Bulevardi Dëshmorët e Kombit and the river is the once totally forbidden but now totally trendy Blloku, the former exclusive Communist Party neighbourhood. When the area was opened to the general public in 1991, Albanians flocked to see the style in which their proletarian leaders lived. Judging by this three-storey pastel-coloured house the Albanian proletarian leaders lived a much simpler life than their comrades in Romania, for example.
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Stadhuis
Life in Antwerp radiates out from the Grote Markt, a vast, triangular market square and it's presided over by the impressive Renaissance-style Stadhuis. Designed by Cornelius Floris De Vriendt and completed in 1565, the stadhuis' palatial façade is a blend of Flemish and Italian styles, an innovative departure from the standard Gothic architecture prevalent at the time of construction. The commanding gable is topped by a fine gilded eagle and flanked by statues representing wisdom and justice.
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Former Reichsluftfahrtsministerium
Another design springing from the fevered brow of Tempelhof architect Ernst Sagebiel, the Reich Aviation Ministry was Hermann Göring’s massive power centre. It’s one of the few Nazi-era architectural relics that survived the epic Battle for Berlin. After the war it was used by several GDR ministries and in 1990, quite ironically, became the seat of the agency charged with privatising East German companies and property. It is now the home of the Federal Finance Ministry and not open to the public.
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Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders-Haus
Across the river from the Paul-Löbe-Haus, on the former East Berlin side, the Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders-Haus houses the parliamentary library. Its most eye-catching design elements include a massive tapered stairway, a flat roofline jutting out like a springboard over a plaza, and a cube with giant circular windows containing the library reading room. The building complex just north is a daycare centre for the kids of government employees; note the hilarious boob-like structure.
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Ráðhús
Reykjavík’s waterside Ráðhús is a postmodern construction that divides all who see it into ‘hate-its’ or ‘love-its’. Concrete stilts, tinted windows and mossy walls make it look like a half-bird, half-building rising from Tjörnin. Inside there’s a fabulous 3D map of Iceland – all mountains and volcanoes, with flecks of nothing-towns disappearing between the peaks. There’s also a pleasant cafe, with free internet access for customers and an intimate view of the ducks.
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Red Tower
The main thoroughfare of the historic centre is Rüütli tänav, lined with splendid buildings dating back to the 17th century. Just off the main street is the Red Tower, the city's oldest building, which dates from the 15th century. Originally bigger, this was the southeast corner of the medieval town wall, of which nothing more remains. At one stage the tower was used as a prison. Today a small gallery is housed on the top floor, and a craft market fills the courtyard.
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Abgeordnetenhaus
The stately neo-Renaissance structure across from the Martin-Gropius-Bau, technically placing it in Mitte, has been a political power nexus since its late-19th-century days as the house of the Prussian parliament. Under the Nazis, it went through a stint as a courthouse before being turned into an air force officers’ club. Since reunification, it has been the seat of Berlin’s state parliament. Free changing exhibits are held in the foyer and on the mezzanine level.
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Palazzo dei Trecento
Piazza dei Signori is dominated by the fine brick Palazzo dei Trecento, the one-time seat of city government. Beneath the vaults you can stop for coffee and wistfully contemplate the worn 16th-century Fontana delle Tette (Tits Fountain), from whose breasts red and white wine flowed for three days each year on the appointment of a new town governor. The practice ended with the fall of Venice in 1797, itself enough reason for the locals to regret the passing of La Serenissima.
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Palace of Parliament
The Palace of Parliament is the world's second largest building (after the US Pentagon). Built in 1984 (and still 10% unfinished), the building's 12 storeys and 3100 rooms covers 330,000 sq metres - an estimated three billion Euro project. Rushed, but interesting, 45 minutes tours go every half hour or so and lead into a handful of marble rooms - still rented out for conferences - finishing at the balcony Nicolae didn't live long enough to speak from.
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Parliament
Greece's Parliament was originally the royal palace designed by the Bavarian architect Von Gartner and built between 1836 and 1842. In 1935 it became the seat of the Greek parliament and it was from the palace balcony that the syntagma (constitution) was declared on 3 September 1843. The royal family moved to a new palace, which became the presidential palace upon the abolition of the monarchy in 1974. Only the library is open to the public.
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Mestni Trg town hall
Mestni trg (Town Square) is dominated by the Mestni Trg town hall, the seat of the city government. It was erected in the late 15th century and rebuilt in 1718. The Gothic courtyard inside, arcaded on three levels, is where theatrical performances once took place and contains some lovely sgraffiti. If you look above the south portal leading to a second courtyard you'll see a relief map of Ljubljana in the second half of the 17th century.
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Treasury
Several treasures, such as the magnificent Golden Mantle (1668) designed by Innocenzo Mangani as a 'cloak' for the picture of La Madonna della Lettera (The Madonna of the Letter) that now sits on the altar, are kept in the Piazza del Duomo's treasury. The letter the Madonna is supposed to have written was a blessing on the city of Messina, which suffered a terrible famine after converting to Christianity in AD 42.
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Rathaus
The centrepiece of St Veit's Hauptplatz at No 1 is the Rathaus; its baroque stuccowork was applied in 1754 and features a double-headed eagle on the pediment. St Veit (the saint, not the town) stands between the eagle's wings. By walking through the Gothic vaulted passage you arrive at an arcaded courtyard bedecked with sgraffito (a mural or decoration in which the top layer is scratched off to reveal the original underneath).
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Parliament Hall
This magnificent 17th-century hall, with original oak hammer-beam roof, is where the original Scottish Parliament met before its dissolution in 1707. Now used by lawyers and their clients as a meeting place, it’s open to the public. As you enter (there’s a sign outside saying ‘Parliament Hall; Court of Session’) you’ll see the reception desk in front of you; the hall is through the double doors immediately on your right.
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Palais de l'Europe
A futuristic glass crescent, the Council of Europe’s Palais de l’Europe across the the River Ill can be visited on free one-hour weekday tours; phone ahead for times and reservations.
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Artus Court
Not many houses have a brand of vodka named after them, but the Artus Court behind the Neptune fountain is perhaps the single best-known house in Gdańsk. The court has been an essential stop for passing luminaries ever since its earliest days, and a photo display in the entrance shows an enviable selection of famous visitors, from King Henry IV of England to a host of contemporary presidents.
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New Town Hall
The huge new town hall is the hotly debated work by US architect Richard Meier. The ‘official’ nickname of the building is the ‘white swan’, but locals prefer the ‘ice palace’. If allowed, take the elevator to the town hall’s 11th floor and look at the complex that has two pointed towers at one end and a dome-topped round tower at the other.
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Plenary Hall
About 1.5km south of the Altstadt along the B9, Bonn's former government quarter was, from 1949 to 1999, the nerve centre of West German political power. These days the Bundesviertel has reinvented itself as the home of the UN and other international and federal institutions. The airy and modern Plenary Hall where the Bundestag (German parliament) used to convene, now hosts international conferences.
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Rathaus
Sometimes described as a 'fairy tale in stone', Lübeck's 13th- to 15th-century Rathaus is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful in Germany. Unfortunately, the impact of its facade is diminished by new buildings around the marketplace, which block previously open views. Inside, a highlight is the Audienzsaal (audience hall), a light-flooded hall decked out in festive rococo.
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Alþingi
Iceland’s first parliament, the Alþingi, was created at Þingvellir in AD 930. After losing its independence in the 13th century, the country gradually won back its autonomy, and the modern Alþingi moved into the current basalt building in 1881; a stylish glass-and-stone annexe was completed in 2002. You’re welcome to attend sessions when parliament is sitting.
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Parliament Building
The renovated Parliament Building, built in 1959 at the northeast corner of the square, is no beauty pageant winner on the outside but the mammoth portal festooned with bronze sculptures is noteworthy. It's worth joining one of the infrequent guided tours at the weekend to see the inside, especially the period-piece mural in the vestibule of the Large Hall depicting the history of Slovenia.
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Palazzo Comunale
Overlooking Piazza Grande, which is Montepulciano’s highest point, is the Palazzo Comunale. Built in the 13th-century Gothic style and remodelled in the 15th century by Michelozzo, it still functions as the town hall. On a clear day, you can see as far as the Monti Sibillini to the east and the Gran Sasso to the southeast from the top of its tower.
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Town Hall
At the town centre on Raekoja plats is the Town Hall. Built between 1782 and 1789, it's topped by a tower and weather vane, and fronted by a statue of lovers kissing under a spouting umbrella. The building's design came courtesy of the German architect JHB Walter, who modelled it on a typical Dutch town hall. A clock was added to encourage students to be punctual for classes.
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Palacio Episcopal
Opposite the Mezquita and next door to the regional tourist office is the Palacio Episcopal, now a conference centre but originally the old Hospital of San Sebastian. A lovely Isabelline-style villa with an internal patio, the palace stages exhibitions, often of regional pottery, to which admission is free if you have a Mezquita ticket. It also houses the Museo Diocesano
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