Palace of Europe
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| Palais de l'Europe | |
 Palace of Europe (center) seen from above |
|
| Building | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Location | Strasbourg, Alsace, France |
| Current Tenants | Council of Europe |
| Coordinates | |
| Construction | |
| Started | 1976 |
| Completed | 1977 |
| Floor Area | 64,000 m² |
| Design Team | |
| Architect | Henry Bernard |
The Palace of Europe (French: Palais de l'Europe) is the seat of the Council of Europe, located in Strasbourg, Alsace, France.
First assemblies of the Council of Europe used to take place in the stately, 1880s main building of Strasbourg University, the former Kaiser-Wilhelms-Universität. Between 1950 and 1977, they took place in a provisory concrete building of purely functional architecture, the House of Europe (Maison de l'Europe) [1] [2], that stood where there now is the lawn leading up to the Palace of Europe.[3] [4]
This building, designed by architect Henry Bernard, was inaugurated on January 28, 1977.[5] It is square in shape, 106 metres on each side, with a height of 38 metres (nine stories). Its total working area is 64,000 square metres. It has 17 meeting rooms and a thousand offices for staff of the Council of Europe secretariat. The exterior of the building is red, silver, and brown. The Palace of Europe is located in the "European District" of Strasbourg, about two kilometres northwest of the Grande Île.
The Committee of Ministers meets in a circular room projecting from a corner of the eastern wing of the building.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe uses the large debating chamber in the centre of the building, called the Hemicycle, famous for its unusual architecture.
The Congress of the Council of Europe holds all of its plenary sessions (and also most of its mini-sessions and committee meetings) in the Palace of Europe. The permanent Secretariat of the Congress is based in Building B, attached to the main building.
Until 1999, the building also hosted plenary sessions of the European Parliament (an organ of the European Union, not officially associated with the Council of Europe). (The European Parliament now has its own building, Immeuble Louise Weiss, across the Ill River.)
From the outside, the Palace of Europe resembles a fortress, since the rows of windows are arranged like arrow slits. The Parliament chamber is covered by a giant dome and resembles an enormous shell.
[edit] References
- ^ Maison de l'Europe (Strasbourg, 1950-1977)
- ^ Inside of the hemicycle of the House of Europe
- ^ House of Europe and Palace of Europe in 1976
- ^ Aerial view of the House of Europe
- ^ The Palace
[edit] External links
