Palace of Westminster in the UK, London resort
Rating: 8,4/10 (3245 votes)  Westminster Palace is a key attraction in London, an outstanding monument of neo-Gothic architecture, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is a building located on the banks of the Thames next to Trafalgar Square. Located in the city center, it is a kind of reference point for the entire architectural appearance of London.
The British Parliament sits at Westminster Palace. Earlier, Westminster was the main residence of the English kings. The palace building, erected in the 11th century, was destroyed by fire in the 16th century. With incredible efforts, the restored structure was destroyed by fire again in the 19th century. Then an architect named Charles Barry reconstructed the ruins of an old palace into a much larger Gothic palace. Its decoration was completed only in the twentieth century, but later the landmark was restored many times.
There are over a thousand rooms in the palace building. The most architecturally valuable part of the palace is Westminster Hall, which managed to survive the fires and bombing during the Second World War. This is a luxurious medieval hall, 28 meters high, built with great skill. More impressive are the carved oak floors laid out in a complex system that resembles the frames of beautiful frigates.
The richest in decoration room of the palace is the House of Lords. It is covered with wood and stone carvings, heraldic emblems, colored stained glass windows, paintings and frescoes of great masters. Several rooms connect this room with the House of Commons, it is made of red oak and looks less sumptuous. The Hall of Peers contains the coats of arms of royal dynasties. Portraits of representatives of the royal family hang in the Central Hall.
Externally, Westminster Palace impresses with the scale and severity of its construction. The Royal Entrance to the Houses of Parliament is decorated with Victoria Tower - the largest tower of the palace. Its height is about one hundred meters. The arch of the royal entrance is framed by sculptures of saints and Queen Victoria. Victoria Tower houses 3 million documents belonging to the Parliamentary Archives. They occupy racks with a total length of 9 km. The top of the tower is marked with a 22-meter flagpole.
Also in the Palace of Westminster is the famous Big Ben clock tower, where the most important clock mechanism of the state is located.
Tourists can enter the Palace of Westminster only during the parliamentary holidays (August 7 - September 16). A tour of the palace reveals the secrets of Westminster Hall, the gallery, the debate chamber and even the royal dressing room.
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