Palace
A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which housed the Imperial residences.
Most European languages have a version of the term and many use it to describe a broader range of buildings than English. In many parts of Europe, the equivalent term is also applied to large private houses in cities, especially of the aristocracy. It is also used for some large official buildings that have never had a residential function; for example in French-speaking countries Palais de Justice is the usual name of important courthouses. Many historic palaces such as parliaments, museums, hotels, or office buildings are now put to other uses. The word is also sometimes used to describe an elaborate building used for public entertainment or exhibitions such as a movie palace.
A palace is typically distinguished from a castle in that the latter is fortified or has the style of a fortification, whereas a palace does not.
Etymology
The word palace comes from Old French palais, from Latin Palātium, the name of one of the seven hills of Rome. The original "palaces" on the Palatine Hill were the seat of the imperial power. At the same time, the "capitol" on the Capitoline Hill was the religious nucleus of Rome. Long after the city grew to the seven hills, the Palatine remained a desirable residential area. Roman emperor Caesar Augustus lived there in a purposely modest house only set apart from his neighbours by the two laurel trees planted to flank the front door as a sign of triumph granted by the Senate. His descendants, especially Nero with his "Domus Aurea", enlarged the building and its grounds over and over until it took up the hilltop. The word Palātium came to mean the residence of the emperor rather than the neighbourhood on top of the hill.Palace, meaning "government", can be recognized in a remark of Paul the Deacon, writing and describing events of the 660s: "When Grimuald set out for Beneventum, he entrusted his palace to Lupus". At the same time, Charlemagne was consciously reviving the Roman expression in his "palace" at Aachen, of which only his chapel remains. In the 9th century, the "palace" indicated the government's housing too, and Charlemagne constantly traveled, building fourteen. In the early Middle Ages, the palas was usually that part of an imperial palace that housed the Great Hall, where affairs of state were conducted; continued to be used as the seat of government in some German cities. In the Holy Roman Empire, the powerful independent Electors came to be housed in palaces. This has been used as evidence that power was widely distributed in the Empire; as in more centralized monarchies, only the monarch's residence would be a palace.
In modern times, archaeologists and historians have applied the term to large structures that housed combined rulers, courts, and bureaucracy in "palace cultures". In informal usage, the term "palace" can be extended to a grand residence.
Ancient palaces
The Minoans were among the first in human history to construct what can truly be considered palaces. The earliest known example in the architectural sense—a large, organized complex serving political, economic, religious, and administrative functions—is the Palace of Knossos on the island of Crete, built by the Minoan civilization around 2000 BC, nearly 4,000 years ago.File:Persepolis - Tachara 01.jpg|thumb|right|Palace of Darius I in Persepolis, the imperial capital of PersiaEarly ancient palaces include the Assyrian palaces at Nimrud and Nineveh and the Persian palaces at Persepolis and Susa. The Minoans built complexes referred to in modern times as Minoan palaces, though scholars now generally do not think they functioned as royal residences.
File:A lower view of the interior.jpg|thumb|Tiryns palace, Argolis, Greece
The best examples of the Bronze Age Greece palace are seen in the excavations at Mycenae, Tiryns and Pylos. The fact that these were administrative centers is shown by the records found there. They were ranged around a group of courtyards, each opening upon several rooms of different dimensions, such as storerooms and workshops, as well as reception halls and living quarters, each opening upon several rooms of different dimensions, such as storerooms, workshops, and reception halls. The heart of the palace was the megaron. This was the throne room, laid around a circular hearth surrounded by four columns, the throne generally found on the right-hand side upon entering the room. The staircases in the palace of Pylos indicate palaces had two stories. Located on the top floor were the private quarters of the royal family and some storerooms. These palaces have yielded a wealth of artifacts and fragmentary frescoes.
The Palace of Domitian in Rome is the overall name given to the complex of palaces that were the primary residence in Rome of the Roman emperors from the late 1st century to the 5th. Some sculptures and decorative elements have been excavated. The Domus Aurea was a different palace, begun by Nero, where excavations from the Renaissance onwards have discovered remarkably well-preserved paintings in levels now below ground.
Diocletian's Palace in Split, Croatia was ready for occupation in 305 AD and is much the most significant ancient survival, having been turned in the Middle Ages into a fortified town; it still houses many people and businesses.
Palaces in East Asia, such as the imperial palaces of Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia, and large wooden structures in China's Forbidden City, consist of many low pavilions surrounded by vast, walled gardens in contrast to the single building palaces of Medieval Western Europe. Palaces were also built by post-classical African kingdoms such as the Ashanti Empire. Before its destruction during the Third Anglo-Ashanti War, the Ashanti royal palace at Kumasi, Ghana was described by English explorers Thomas Edward Bowdich and Winwood Reade as "an immense building of a variety of oblong courts and regular squares."
Medieval palaces
European palaces belonging to rulers were often large and grand, however, very few have survived to represent anything like their original medieval condition; many having been abandoned, burned down, demolished, or rebuilt. The Palais des Papes in Avignon, France, is probably the best prominent example, essentially a creation of 1252 to 1379, and little has changed since 1433, which marked the end of the Avignon Papacy and subsequent schisms.Very little of the medieval Louvre Palace, one of the most magnificent, has survived above ground. Similar fates befell the main palaces of the Byzantine Empire in Constantinople: the Great Palace of Constantinople, Boukoleon Palace, and Palace of Blachernae. The Palace of the Porphyrogenitus, a part of the Palace of Blachernae, has significant remains and now houses a museum.
Americas
Argentina
All major cities in Argentina have prominent palaces due to the great economic growth the country went through in the late 19th century and early 20th century. In that time Argentina was one of the largest exporters of grain, meat, wool and leather in the world. The country's new elite was eager to show their wealth to the world, which is the reason they often hired european architects and in many cases, even imported all the construction materials needed. Some of those palaces are still residential and many others have become hotels, museums and embassies. Some examples of this are Palacio Duhau, Palacio Álzaga Unzué, Palacio Bosch, Palacio Paz and Palacio San Martín.Also, President Domingo Faustino Sarmiento claimed that Argentine schools should be palaces because that would encourage children and teenagers to go to school. For that reason many public schools are opulent and are called "escuelas palacio". Some examples of this are Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires, Colegio Nacional Rafael Hernández, Escuela Superior de Comercio Carlos Pellegrini, Colegio Mariano Moreno and Escuela Normal Sáenz Peña.
Other examples of government buildings in Argentina that are considered palaces are Palacio Pizzurno, Correo Central, Palacio de Aguas Corrientes and Palacio de Justicia de la Nación.
Brazil
The Brazilian new capital, Brasília, hosts modern palaces, most designed by the city's architect Oscar Niemeyer. The Alvorada Palace is the official residence of Brazil's president. The Planalto Palace is the official workplace. The Jaburu Palace is the official residence of Brazil's vice-president. Also Rio de Janeiro, the former capital of the Portuguese Empire and the Empire of Brazil, houses numerous royal and imperial palaces as the Imperial Palace of São Cristóvão, former official residence of the Brazil's emperors, the Paço Imperial, its official workplace and the Guanabara Palace, former residence of Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil besides palaces of the nobility and aristocracy. The city of Petropolis, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, is mainly known for its palaces of the imperial period, such as the Petrópolis Palace and the Grão-Pará Palace.Canada
In Canada, Government House is a title given to the official residences of the Canadian monarchy and various viceroys. Though not universal, in most cases, the title is also the building's sole name; for example, the sovereign's and governor general's principal residence in Ottawa is known as Government House only in formal contexts, being more generally referred to as Rideau Hall. Government House is an inherited custom from the British Empire, where there were and are many government houses.Rideau Hall is, since 1867, the official residence in Ottawa of both the Canadian monarch and his or her representative, the governor general of Canada, and has been described as "Canada's house". It stands in Canada's capital on a estate at 1 Sussex Drive, with the main building consisting of approximately 175 rooms across, and 27 outbuildings around the grounds. While the equivalent structure in many countries has a prominent, central place in the national capital, Rideau Hall's site is relatively unobtrusive within Ottawa, giving it more of the character of a private home.
Along with Rideau Hall, the Citadelle of Quebec, also known as La Citadelle, is an active military installation and official residence of the Canadian monarch and the governor general. It is located atop Cap Diamant, adjoining the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City, Quebec. The citadel is the oldest military building in Canada and forms part of the fortifications of Quebec City, which is one of only two cities in North America still surrounded by fortifications. The fortress is located within the historic district of Old Québec, designated a World Heritage Site in 1985.
In addition to the federal residences, most provinces maintain a place for the Canadian monarch and their provincial viceroys and lieutenant governors. There is no government house for the lieutenant governors of Ontario, Quebec, or Alberta.