Capitolio Nacional

The National Capitol occupies the southern flank of Bolívar Square and houses the Congress of Colombia. Designed by Danish architect Thomas Reed, its construction stretched across roughly ninety years from 1848, leaving a long colonnaded neoclassical front of grey stone. The Salón Elíptico, an oval chamber beneath a skylight, hosts joint sessions and contains historic murals. Its steps are a frequent gathering point for demonstrations, and the building's slow completion mirrored the country's turbulent nineteenth-century politics.