Palacio de las Cortes is a building in
Madrid where the
Spanish Congress of Deputies meets. It is located on the Calle Zorrilla and the Carrera de San Jerónimo, near the
Paseo del Prado. It was built by
Narciso Pascual Colomer
Narciso Pascual Colomer, also known as Narciso Pascual y Colomer, (1808 in Madrid – 15 June 1870 in Lisboa) was a Spanish architect. He was one of the most important of the reign of Isabella II, an exponent of the late Neoclassicism and hist ...
from 1843 to 1850.
in the
neoclassic style and is one of the most emblematic buildings of Madrid from the 19th century.
The building came to international attention during the attempted
coup d'état known in Spain as the '
23-F 3F or 3-F may refer to:
* Fagligt Fælles Forbund
* Fangio, Farina, Fagioli - drivers of the Alfa Romeo factory team
* 3 Fonteinen - Belgian brewery, specializing in gueuze and kriek
* 0x3F, ASCII code for question mark
The question mark (al ...
', in 1981.
Antonio Tejero, a lieutenant colonel in the
Guardia Civil who was an unrepentant
Falangist, stormed the Congress of Deputies chamber along with dozens of armed officers, disrupting proceedings to elect
Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo
Leopoldo Ramón Pedro Calvo-Sotelo y Bustelo, 1st Marquess of Ría de Ribadeo (; 14 April 1926 – 3 May 2008), usually known as Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo, was Prime Minister of Spain between 1981 and 1982.
Early life and career
Calvo-Sotelo was b ...
as the new
Spanish prime minister. The insurgents opened fire within the chamber though no one was harmed. The deputies were held hostage for 18 hours before the coup unravelled.
The bullet holes are still visible in the plenary and are shown to visitors on guided tours.
References
Government buildings completed in 1850
Legislative buildings in Spain
Neoclassical architecture in Madrid
Palaces in Madrid
Buildings and structures in Cortes neighborhood, Madrid
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