Palace of the Nation, Brussels

The Palace of the Nation is the seat of the Belgian Federal Parliament, a neoclassical building facing the Parc de Bruxelles in the heart of the capital. Completed in the late eighteenth century before Belgian independence, it originally housed the sovereign council and courts of the Austrian Netherlands. Since 1831 it has hosted the Chamber of Representatives and the Senate. Its columned portico and pediment overlook the park, and guided tours allow visitors to see the debating chambers and library at the centre of the governmental district.