Europe's most spectacular parliament buildings

Bucharest's "House of the People" is considered the largest parliament building in the world. An entire district had to make way for the oversized complex with over 1,000 rooms. One million cubic meters of marble were used to complete the building in 1989.

Poland's National Assembly comprises two chambers: the lower house, or Sejm (pictured), and the upper house, or Senate. 460 deputies meet in Warsaw's Sejm; they are elected every four years. Visitors can take tours of the building on days when parliament is not in session.

Lithuanian members of parliament had no actual decision-making power during the Soviet occupation. That changed after Lithuanian independence in 1990. Law-makers come together in the Brutalist Seimas Palace building, which was completed in 1980.

Estonian parliamentarians convene at Toompea Castle in Tallinn. Its architecture, a combination of Art Nouveau and Expressionist styles, was once considered ultra-modern and generated a fair amount of controversy — it is said to be the only parliament building of its kind in the world. Today, the Baltic country is known for its digital-friendly e-democracy.

The Finnish Parliament was designed by architect Johan Sigfrid Siren and inaugurated in 1931. The imposing building at the heart of Helsinki combines elements of Neoclassicism with early 20th-century Modernism. Guided tours of the building are available.

German law-makers officially returned from Bonn to Berlin in 1999. By then, extensive refurbishment work had been completed on the capital's parliament building, the Reichstag. The newly renovated edifice features, among other things, a glass dome and a roof garden restaurant.

Dutch representatives meet in the Binnenhof, a historic building complex in the center of The Hague that dates back to the 13th century. Currently, however, the premises are being renovated — serious indicators of its advanced age, such as rotting timbers and leaking roofs, had become impossible to ignore.

The Senedd was opened in Cardiff in 2006, making it one of the newer parliament buildings in Europe. Sustainability played a major role in its construction. To this end, particularly hard-wearing, regional materials such as slate and Welsh oak were used in the construction. A sustainable heating system and a rainwater treatment system were also installed.

The Spanish parliament is also composed of two chambers: the Congreso de los Diputados, or House of Deputies (pictured), and the Senado, or Senate. The former is the more powerful of the two, as it appoints Spain's government. It can be visited in the context of guided tours.

Malta has had a new parliament building since 2015, designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano. The edifice was constructed with limestone walls which provide great thermal insulation and solar panels on the roof, making its very energy efficient. The first floor also houses an art exhibition that is open to the public.