Ceausescu was the former dictator of Romania, and he decided that he needed a new home for the government that was, well, worthy of him. In 1978, after seeing a big structure in North Korea, Nic decided he needed one bigger and better. Naturally, it was placed on top of a hill, and the order went out to get to work.
And work and work and work. It's one of the biggest buildings in the world, checking in at 9 billion pounds. When a small part of the structure was done, the Parliament and its boss moved in to the new digs. The fact that an earthquake had damaged a neighborhood gave Ceausescu an excuse to start building. Of course, that pesky Revolution got in the way in 1989, and about 70 percent of the place is usually not used these days even though it was technically finished in 1997. But what was finished was done in a grand scale, making a mere mortal feel small. The closest I've been to feeling this was in a building was in Versailles. People died along the way, although no one can guess what the death toll actually was. It's in use today, although the tour is a little limited - and the rooms have been adapted for current use.
I could show you a photo of the building from across the street. But that really doesn't capture the feeling. A great deal of it is underground anyway. Besides the insides are more interesting. This shot is a conference room inside the main floor. I believe it's the only place where George W. Bush actually met Vladimir Putin, as they held a summit conference there. And this short video gives a better idea of what the place is like - which is, in an odd way, unforgettable:
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