Parliament House (Budynek Sejmu)

Historically, the Polish Parliament (Sejm) didn’t have an assigned, set meeting place, as discussions were usually held in Piotrków, chosen for its central location in the country. Later on, the Walny Sejm chose to gather at royal sites (the most popular was Wawel Castle), then after the capital was moved from Krakow to Warsaw in the 16th century, the Sejm met at the Royal Castle (Zamek Królewski).
Only once Poland was reborn as a Republic did the Sejm get its registered office in Warsaw on Wiejska Street; it took the building over from a former female secondary school in 1918. However, the first official gathering of the Sejm did not take place until February 10, 1919  and the building's expansion and renovations were not completed until 1935. Soon afterwards, WWII completely destroyed the entire building, and between 1946 and 1947, the old Meeting Hall (Sala Posiedzeń) was rebuilt, as a sign of renewal. The project’s supervisor was renowned architect Bohdan Pniewski from Warsaw. Between 1949-1952, a group of white sandstone buildings inspired by the architecture of the Renaissance were created, and this new complex became a part of an old park, and spread up a slope.
Today, it is best to visit the Sejm on days free from meetings, deliberations and sessions. If you go on a free day, you may see the gallery, the main hall (which includes a commemorative plaque of the members of the Second Republic who died during WWII), the Column Hall (Sala Kolumnowa), the Marshal's Corridor (Korytarz Marszałkowski) and the Senate meeting room (only on weekdays). Note that visitors are only permitted to see the building when accompanied by a registered tour guide. To reserve a visit to the Sejm, along with guides who speak a number of different languages, you may use the internet booking system on the Sejm website.