Description of the attraction
Until 1707, when the Union Act was signed, Scotland was an independent kingdom. The Scottish Parliament was first mentioned in chronicles at the beginning of the 13th century. In the 17th century, by order of King Charles I, Parliament Hall, the first parliament building, was built next to St. Giles's Cathedral.
The Union Act proclaimed the emergence of a new state - the Kingdom of Great Britain. The parliaments of England and Scotland were abolished, replaced by the parliament of Great Britain, and for the next three hundred years Scotland was ruled from Westminster, from London. During these three hundred years, the demands to recreate the Scottish parliament did not subside, but it was only in the 1997 referendum that the required number of votes was collected. In 1999, parliamentary elections were held and the first meeting of the renewed Scottish parliament took place.
It was decided to build a new building for the new parliament. The site of construction was the historic center of Edinburgh, not far from Holyrood Palace. The author of the project is the Catalan architect Enrique Miralles. The original complex of modern buildings should symbolize, according to his plan, the unity of the Scottish people, their culture and the city of Edinburgh. Like any large-scale modern project (especially one that should fit into the old buildings), the project of the Scottish Parliament building was subjected to merciless criticism from the very beginning of construction. The extension of the construction period by three years and the huge - more than 10 times - cost overruns also did not add to the popularity of the project. What epithets this "Celtic-Catalan cocktail" has not received! The main foyer, with its low ceilings, was called the "troglodyte cave" and the wood paneling on the façade was called "hair dryers."
However, many experts and critics consider this project an architectural masterpiece, noting that although it stands out among the old buildings, it does not contradict either the surrounding landscape or the general architectural appearance of this area.
