Leaders visit one of the most representative buildings of Spanish democracy | Ver el Resumen del Programa en PDF
The Congress of Deputies, along with the Senate, represents the Spanish people and exercises the legislative power of the State. Its 350 deputies hold their assemblies in the Palace of the Cortes, a clear example of 19th-century Spanish Neoclassicism.
The Leaders took a guided tour of the various rooms of this building, which allowed them to learn not only about its architectural features and the works of art it houses, but also about the workings of the Lower House.
Located in Madrid's Plaza de las Cortes, the seat of the Congress of Deputies, the work of architect Narciso Pascual y Colomer, was inaugurated in 1850 by Queen Isabella II. Its interior houses a wealth of art, with works by Goya, Madrazo, and Sorolla, as well as rooms decorated with marble and tapestries from the Royal Tapestry Factory.
The Leaders visited the building's various offices, beginning with the Conference Hall, known as the "Hall of Lost Steps," the press room, and the main lobby, with its statue of Isabel II and the Constitution of 1812, one of the first modern constitutions and one of the most influential of its time.
They also passed by some of the famous "desks": meeting or work rooms used for committee meetings, parliamentary groups, or institutional events. Among them was the Constitution Desk, with a handwritten facsimile copy of the 1978 Spanish Constitution, which Felipe VI swore upon his eighteenth birthday and was proclaimed heir to the Spanish Crown by the Cortes.
Of course, the main part of the visit was the Session Hall or Hemicycle, where the Plenary Sessions of Congress, as well as the joint sessions of Congress and the Senate, are held. The leaders were able to see the seats of the members of the Government and the seats of the deputies, learn about the voting system, and the various elements that make up this chamber. Of course, they also learned about the various bullet holes in the ceiling and walls, the result of gunfire during the 1981 coup attempt, which Congress decided to preserve as a historical record and to remind us of the fragility of democracy and the value of its institutions.
