Palace of Westminster

The Palace of Westminster is the seat of the House of Lords, House of Commons and offices associated with them. In 1970 the building was inscribed on the list of Class I monuments, and in 1987 on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The name is associated with the church located nearby. Peter, who in Anglo-Saxon times was referred to as the "west monastery" or "West Minster".

Construction of the palace, which was to serve as a royal seat, began in 1016. Over time, it became the venue for Parliament. The current neo-Gothic appearance of the building is the result of the reconstruction, which began after the fire in 1834. The characteristic elements of the palace are the towers: Elizabeth Tower, known as Big Ben and Victoria Tower, which is the only entrance used by the monarch on his way to the House of Lords. The palace has 1,100 rooms, and the total length of corridors is nearly 5 km.

Over the centuries, Westminster Palace has been the target of numerous attacks. The most famous of them is the so-called Gunpowder plot of 1605, when a group of English Catholics wanted to blow up Parliament.