Today, I made the “mistake” of attending the open day of the Austrian Parliament (which was re-opened after its renovation). When I got there 20 minutes before opening, it was already a bit busy.

In the end, it even turned out to be even more busy than expected: Instead of less than an hour (as I originally estimated), I spent a full two hours waiting on the ramp to Parliament. At midday, I was finally able to walk through the corridors of Parliament and visit the renovated assembly halls. In particular, the huge glass dome above the National Council Chamber is very impressive. But also the corridors seem to be more brightly lit than I remembered them from my last visit.

The visitor center on the ground floor of the building, directly below the magnificent columned hall, is also very well-designed and informative. However, by then, the waiting lunch was already quite alluring.

So, is the renovated Parliament worth a visit? Definitly yes. Is it worth standing in line for two hours for this? Maybe not.