Seimas Palace

The Seimas Palace in Vilnius is the seat of the Seimas, the parliament of Lithuania, and houses the chamber where the legislation of the country is passed. Designed by Algimantas Nasvytis and Vytautas Nasvytis in a square plan reflecting late Soviet era modern architecture, its first construction phase was completed in 1980 and covered about 9,717 square meters, forming part of a complex that originally also held offices for the Ministry of Finance of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic and the trade union council of the republic. After Lithuania regained independence in 1990, its western section briefly housed the offices of the President between 1993 and 1997 before becoming the office of the Seimas Speaker. A new Parliament Hall, begun in 2006, was inaugurated in 2007 as a modernized legislative chamber, while the original 1980 hall remains in use for ceremonial sessions.