Parliament buildings
The Parliament buildings incorporate elements of French, English, and Aboriginal culture, as well as the Gothic revival list architecture in vogue when the buildings were completed around the middle of the 19th century. The Centre Block was accidentally burned down in 1916 (rebuilt 1922); of the original buildings, only the Library remains. The Peace Tower, built to commemorate World War I, was completed in 1927. It contains a memorial chamber holding the Books of Remembrance that keep a record of every Canadian soldier, sailor or aircrew killed while serving in the Canadian forces.
The different provincial legislatures employ a stunning variety of architecture: the Quebec National Assembly is modelled on the French Second Empire school; in other provinces you can find neoclassical, Romanesque and Baroque Parliament buildings, intended to reflect the classical cradle of Western civilisation from which our democracy originates.
