Laws Start and End Here Trivia Quiz

The German Bundestag sits in the Reichstag in Berlin. First completed in 1894, the Reichstag had a turbulent history for the first 100 years. Once Germany reunified, the building was redesigned and modernized by architect Norman Foster in 1990. Probably the most striking feature of the Reichstag is the glass dome over the plenary chamber.

The Palace of Westminster in London is probably the most recognized photo on the list thanks to the beautiful clock tower. Construction on the grounds is believed to have begun around 1016 when King Cnut used it as his administrative palace. Edward the Confessor built the original Westminster Abbey. Over the centuries the palace has been damaged and rebuilt multiple times.

The current design was the work of architect Charles Barry in the mid-19th century.

While Amsterdam is the capital city of the Netherlands, the seat of government is in The Hague. The State General of the Netherlands meets in the Binnenhof which means inner court. While the Binnenhof was first constructed in the 13th century as a residence, it became the center of political power in 1584.

The oldest part of the Binnenhof still standing is The Knight's Hall built in a Gothic style in 1280.

The Hungarian House of the Nation is known as the Parliament of Budapest. On the banks of the Danube River, the building first opened for business in 1902 twenty-four years after the three cities of Buda, Obuda, and Pest combined. Imre Steindl won a competition to design the building.

While the building is symmetrical with two assembly chambers, the country became a unicameral government in 1989 and occupies only the lower chamber. The upper chamber is now used for tourism.

When the Australian Federation was formed in 1901, Sydney and Melbourne refused to let the other city to be the capital. They agreed that the capital could be in an autonomous territory within New South Wales as long as it was at least 100 miles from Sydney.

The location of Canberra fit the bill and was selected to be the Australian seat of government. The current Parliament House opened in 1988 based on the architectural design of Mitchell Glugora and Thorp.

The Canadian Parliament Building is one of the most beautiful government buildings in the world. The modern Gothic Revival style contrasts the copper green roof with the beautiful masonry brick. The Centre Block was finished in 1927 with a chamber for the Senate and the Commons.

The tall Peace Tower is named for the sacrifices of Canadian soldiers during WWI. Architect John A. Pearson designed the tower with over 350 gargoyles, grotesques, and friezes. Finally, the beautiful Library of Parliament is behind the Centre Block continuing the modern Gothic style with a cone shape to it.

Maybe one of the most unique legislative buildings is the National Congress Palace of Brazil. Architect Oscar Niemeyer constructed two half-spheres - the Senate (top of a sphere) and the Chamber of the Deputies (bottom of a sphere). Brasilia was a planned city in the 1950s and from the air looks like a giant bird with wings spread out.

The Palace lies in the middle of the bird at what is called the Monumental Axis and has two giant office buildings for the legislature. The building became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 along with many of the original buildings of Brasilia.

Completed in 1902, the Federal Palace in Bern, Switzerland, is the legislative meeting place for the Council of States and National Council. Looking down, the building is in the shape of a Swiss cross. It has a rather ostentatious green square dome that helps it stand out from the rest of the crowded city center of Bern.

The central domed hall is adorned with gorgeous staircases going to the two Federal Assembly chambers.

The Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban (National Parliament Building) of Bangladesh is very modern and stylish. While the country only gained independence in 1971, the building construction began in 1961 as an attempt to placate the disgruntled East Pakistani. Construction was not actually completed until 1982 when it became the home of the National Parliament. Louis Kahn designed the building to allow as much natural light as possible.

The building is surrounded by a man-made lake on three sides. The Main Plaza where the Parliament meets has an octagonal shape.

Several buildings make up the New Zealand Parliament complex. The Parliament House was built in a Neoclassical style by architect John Campbell. The work started in 1914; however, the outbreak of WWI led to major slowdowns in construction. The Parliament decided the unfinished building was better than their current arrangements so they started meeting in it in 1918. Construction culminated in 1922. One of the more striking buildings is the Beehive (in the photo) which serves as the offices for the executive wing of the government.

The Parliamentary Library is also a beautiful part of the complex built in a Gothic Revival style like the original Parliament House.