Bucharest's unmistakable Palace of Parliament, due to its immense physical, psychic and historic stature, is perhaps the most controversial building in Romania. Meant to be the crowning achievement of 'Civic Centre' - Communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu's ambitious urban development plan - the Palace of Parliament represents one of the most extravagant and expensive building projects in the history of mankind; certainly of the last century. Claiming superlative as the world's second-largest building by surface area (after the sneakily spacious US Pentagon), the Palace of Parliament is one of Romania's biggest tourist attractions, despite popular disdain.

As once regal and cosmopolitan Bucharest lay in decay after two World Wars and a devastating earthquake in 1977, Romania's Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was coming to the height of his power and megalomania. By creating a pervasive cult of personality (calling himself 'Conducator' ('Leader'), 'Geniul din Carpati' ('Genius of the Carpathians') and even having a king-like scepter made for himself), Ceausescu projected his own narcissism onto the people, wishing to erase everything as it was before him from the popular imagination. Promoting the 'Civic Centre' project as the creation of a 'multilaterally developed socialist society,' Ceausescu began to demolish the deteriorating capital and rebuild it in his own vision, culminating in the construction of 'Casa Poporului,' or the 'The People's House' as it was to be ironically titled.