Sejm and Senate Complex

The Sejm and Senate Complex on Wiejska Street in Warsaw is the seat of the bicameral parliament of Poland, with construction beginning after the country regained independence in 1918 and continuing in stages managed by the Chancellery of the Sejm. Architects Kazimierz Skorewicz and Bohdan Pniewski shaped the complex over decades in a style moving from Stripped Classicism toward modern architecture, with the main Meeting Hall built between May 1925 and March 1928 using construction materials sourced entirely from Poland apart from Belgian marble on its inner walls. The Meeting Hall serves as the seat of the Sejm, hosts joint sessions of both chambers and is where newly elected presidents take their oath of office; its exterior carries a frieze of eighteen stone plates with bas reliefs depicting themes such as liberation, craft, religion, the fine arts, farming, the press and education. Inside, a three tone white, gray and black marble floor sits beneath gray stucco columns and white Carrara marble portals, with decorative iron balustrades finished in gilt bas relief.