The Houses of Parliament is located at the eastern end of the Royal Mile, near the Royal Palace of Holyrood.
From about 1235 to 1707, the Parliament of Scotland served as the national legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland, except for a period during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.
For most of its existence, the Scottish Parliament did not have a regular meeting place.
In 1707, after the signing of the Act of Union, the kingdoms of Scotland and England were unified into the Kingdom of Great Britain, dissolving the Scottish and English parliaments and establishing the Parliament of Great Britain, based in London.
Under the terms of the treaty, Scotland sent 16 Scottish representatives to the House of Lords and 45 MPs to the House of Commons.
In September 1997, amid the rise of Scottish nationalism, a referendum on devolution was held in Scotland which approved the establishment of a Scottish parliament directly elected for home affairs only.
It was built on the area formerly occupied by the Scottish & Newcastle brewery.
Inaugurated on 7th September 2004, the new Scottish Parliament Building is the symbol of the recovery of legislative power by the Scottish people, after almost three centuries of union with England.
From the beginning, the work was highly criticized for various reasons, especially for the budget spent, since the construction of the building cost 10 times more than what had been planned. Other criticisms were directed at the modern design of the structure which contrasted with the medieval layout of Edinburgh.
Depending on the day of the week, you can take a guided tour of the Scottish Parliament building or attend one of the parliamentary sessions.
