Royal Palace

The Old Royal Palace is the former royal palace in Athens, Greece. The palace faces onto the Syntagma Square and now houses the Hellenic Parliament.

The palace was designed by Friedrich von Gärtner for King Otto of Greece and was completed in 1843. As it served originally as a palace for the Greek monarchs, it is sometimes still referred to as the "Old Palace". After suffering fire damage in 1909, it entered a long period of renovation. The King and Royal Family moved to what was from 1897 until then the Crown Prince's Palace, from then on known as the "New Palace", one block to the east on Herodou Attikou Street, while some royals continued to reside in the "Old Palace" until 1924, when a referendum abolished the monarchy. The building was then used for many different purposes—functioning as a makeshift hospital, a museum, et al.—until November 1929, when the Government decided that the building would permanently house Parliament. After more extensive renovations, the Senate convened in the "Old Palace" (Παλαιά Ανάκτορα) on 2 August 1934, followed by the Fifth National Assembly on 1 July 1935. Although the monarchy was restored that same year, the building has housed Parliament ever since.