Palace of the Nation

Palace of the Nation
Palais de la Nation (French) Paleis der Natie (Dutch) Palast der Nation (German)
Front view of the Palace of the Nation seen from the Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat
General information
Architectural style	Neoclassical
Address	Place de la Nation / Natieplein 2
Town or city	1008 City of Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region
Country	Belgium
Coordinates	50°50′49″N 4°21′54″E / 50.84694°N 4.36500°E / 50.84694; 4.36500
Current tenants	Belgian Federal Parliament
Construction started	1778 (1778)
Completed	1783 (1783)
Other information
Public transit access	Train: Brussels-Central Metro: Parc/Park (lines 1 and 5) and Arts-Loi/Kunst-Wet (lines 1, 2, 5 and 6)

The Palace of the Nation (French: Palais de la Nation; Dutch: Paleis der Natie; German: Palast der Nation) is a neoclassical palace in Brussels, Belgium, housing the Belgian Federal Parliament.

The palace was built from 1778 to 1783 to a neoclassical design by the French architect Gilles-Barnabé Guimard and includes sculptures by Gilles-Lambert Godecharle. Under Austrian rule, it housed the Sovereign Council of Brabant before being used as a courthouse during the French period. During the Dutch period, it was one of two homes of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, the other being in The Hague. Following Belgian independence in 1830, the Provisional Government of Belgium and Belgian National Congress moved into the building and the first session of the Chamber of Representatives and Senate was held there a year later.^[1]

The building stands across the street from Brussels Park's northern entrance, near the site of the former palace of the Dukes of Brabant, which was destroyed by fire in 1731, and has itself been badly damaged by fire, in 1820 and 1883.^[2] In the 1930s, a bunker was built underneath the park, connected by tunnels to the House of Parliament. This area is served by Brussels-Central railway station, as well as by the metro stations Parc/Park (on lines 1 and 5) and Arts-Loi/Kunst-Wet (on lines 1, 2, 5 and 6).