Hellenic Parliament Building - Athens, Greece - Capitol Buildings on Waymarking.com

This neoclassical, three-floor Parliament Building is the focal point of Syntagma Square as it stands at the highest point of the square. The building was designed by Friedrich von Gärtner and completed in 1843 under King Otto and served as the royal palace for the Greek monarchs until 1910 when it was destroyed by fire; at this point it entered a long period of renovation.

Members of the royal family continued to reside in the building until 1924 when the monarchy was abolished. In 1929, the government decided that the building would house the Parliament, and the beautiful old structure underwent more extensive renovations. The Senate convened in the newly purposed building in 1934 followed by the Fifth National Assembly in 1935. The monarchy was restored that same year; however, the building has continued to house the Parliament ever since that time.

The changing of the guard, who are dressed in very interesting traditional uniforms, takes place in front of the building every hour on the hour in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is located in the formal forecourt of the building.

Type of Capitol: National Address: 2 Vasilissis Sophias Athens, Greece 10671 Dates of Construction: 1843 Major Renovations: See Long Description Hours: N/A Capitol Web Site: [Web Link] Historical Monuments/Memorials: The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is located at the bottom of a high wall surrounding the Parliament Building. On this wall is a relief that depicts a fallen soldier; it is surrounded by quotations from Pericles' funeral oration. To the left and right are further inscriptions that tell of historic battles where Greek soldiers took part, the most recent one in Cyprus in 1974. Two sentry boxes, on either side of the tomb, have small canopies to protect the guards against the sun.

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