Cape Town - Houses of Parliament

Opposite the Library is the imposing façade of the Houses of Parliament. The original building, in which parliamentary sittings were first held in 1814, has been much altered and extended since then. Here the South African Parliament meets between the end of January and the end of June; during the rest of the year it meets in Pretoria. Its debates are open to the public. When Parliament is not sitting there are conducted tours of the building.