Bucharest's Palace of the Parliament: Romania's lavish palace of ego and power

It's been said Romania's Palace of the Parliament is so huge, it can be seen from every corner of Bucharest. Approaching by coach, I struggle to take photos that even begin to capture the full scope of the massive white building.

The ego-fuelled vision of former Communist leader Nicolae Ceaucescu and his wife, Elena, it was his dream to build the largest and most lavish administrative building in the world. Started in 1984 and still unfinished, it is a colossal, visual reminder of the dangers of unchecked power.

Neighbourhoods were razed to make way for it, an estimated 40,000 residents were displaced and thousands of labourers put to work, many against their will. Never mind all that; what Nicolae and Elena wanted, they got.

Built at an estimated cost of three billion euros, it is thought to be the most expensive building in the world. It's also the heaviest, weighed down by a million cubic metres of the finest Romanian marble.

A retractable glass ceiling over the ballroom was designed so that Ceaucescu could arrive at the palace by helicopter. More than 1100 rooms are decorated with rich mosaics, priceless carpets and ornate stained-glass windows. A nuclear bunker eight levels below ground was to keep him safe in the event of war. A couple of years later, the world was horrified at leaked images of desperately malnourished children in Bucharest's orphanages.

With a floor area of 365,000 square metres and an above-ground height of 84 metres (it extends for an additional 90 metres below ground), it's huge, though not the largest government building in the world. That title goes to the Pentagon.

Constructed on land that had been severely damaged in a 1977 earthquake, the palace was designed to withstand quakes measuring up to 8 on the Richter scale. "That's why I'm working here," says Christian, our tour guide. "I'm afraid of earthquakes."