The Palace of Westminster is one of London's main attractions. With its majestic and austere façade, it adorns the left bank of the Thames, from which the homonymous district of the city begins. The Palace of Westminster at the moment is not only a famous monument of history and architecture. The palace houses the Parliament of the country. Numerous meetings of both chambers (Lords and Commons) are held in stately palace interiors.
The Palace of Westminster, a photo of which can be found in every guidebook, still invariably impresses when you first meet live. The magnificent building with a length of 300 meters covers an area of more than 3.2 hectares. There are more than 1200 different premises on this vast territory. Going for a walk around the castle, it is worth considering that the total length of the corridors is about five kilometers, and also that you will have to overcome 100 stairs along the way.
Initially, the building was built as a palace for the life of monarchs, but after a fire in 1834, many rooms and buildings fell into disrepair. Then the Palace of Wesminster was rebuilton a new project, which was made in the Gothic style. The ancient medieval architecture of the palace has been preserved in the most beautiful reception hall, which is called Westminster Hall. The unique Tower of Jewels also survived. The architects designed and built it specifically so that the treasury of Edward III was under reliable protection.
The Palace of Westminster that exists today has a very peculiar and interesting design. The unusual layout of the interior is associated with a fire that rendered some buildings unusable. The main part of the damaged but not destroyed structures was restored and included in the construction project of the new palace.
The Palace of Westminster is famous for its two towers that frame its facade from the north and from the south. The clock tower, which is familiar to many as Big Ben, is the main symbol of the capital of Great Britain. This is the main clock of the country. The Victoria Tower on the other side of the palace serves as the entrance to the building for the royal family. During the sessions of Parliament, it is customary to raise the national flag on it.
A remarkable fact about the palace: it is not just a museum. It hosts Parliament meetings, the annual opening of which has become one of the favorite traditions of the British. The queen herself takes part in the solemn ceremony.
Currently, the palace building is available for tourists to visit. Until 2004, this was prohibited by law. Now, during the holidays of Parliamentthousands of tourists from all over the world have the opportunity to stroll through the halls and corridors of the majestic palace and see the premises in which the history of a great power is being created to this day.
Unique architecture and rich history draw thousands of tourists to London every year. The Palace of Westminster occupies an important place in the list of main attractions and leaves no one indifferent who has visited it once.
