Every country’s head of state has an official residence. These residences are usually reflective of the country’s culture and history, and over many centuries became home for several world leaders.
AK ORDA PRESIDENTIAL PALACE, KAZAKHSTAN
The palace is Kazakhstan’s president’s office but he doesn’t live there. It is 80 meters high, which makes it one of the largest houses on this list.
CASA ROSADA, ARGENTINA
Casa Rosada is one of the most iconic places in Buenos Aires. It was completed in 1898 and is considered a National Historic Monument of Argentina.
GRAND PALACE, THAILAND
Located in Bangkok, this is the official residence of the country’s monarchs since 1782. It has an area of 220,000 sq m, and although the current president does not live there, it is still used for official events.
PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE BUILDING, TAIWAN
Although located in Taiwan’s capital, Taipei, this palace is the official office of the President of the Republic of China. It was completed in 1919, in a period when Taiwan was ruled by the Japanese.
ROYAL PALACE, CAMBODIA
The building’s official name is Preah Barum Reachea Veang Chaktomuk Serei Mongkol and is the official residence of the king of Cambodia. It was built in 1866 and is a popular tourist attraction in the country.
ROYAL PALACE OF MADRID, SPAIN
It is the official residence of the Spanish monarchy. However, the current king, Philip VI, does not reside in the palace with his family. It has an area of 135,000 sq m.
RASHTRAPATI BHAVAN, INDIA
It is the president of India’s official residence and is located in central Delhi. The building dates back to the colonial era, when India was still part of the British Empire.
BUCKINGHAM PALACE, ENGLAND
It is the workplace and residence of the UK monarchy. It became the royals’ official residence in 1837, after Queen Victoria’s ascension to the throne, making her the first monarch to live there.
STOCKHOLM PALACE, SWEDEN
This palace was completed in 1760 and is 230 meters long and 125 meters wide, making it one of the largest official residencies in the world. The palace has about 1,400 rooms.
PRAGUE CASTLE, CZECH REPUBLIC
The castle is not only the official residence of the Czech president, but also the place where the jewels of the crown are kept. It has about 70,000 sq m and is one of the oldest castles in the world, having started to be built in the 9th century.
PALÁCIO DA ALVORADA, BRAZIL
Built between 1957 and 1958, this is one of the most recent official residences in the world and one of the most modern ones as well. It has about 7300 sq m and is officially considered National Historic Heritage.
FLAGSTAFF HOUSE, GHANA
It was officially finished in 2008 and now serves as the residence and official office of the president of Ghana.
ROYAL PALACE OF AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
Built in 1665, the palace was meant to be a city hall, but later ended up being used as a royal palace.
ISTANA NURUL IMAN, BRUNEI
This is the the Sultan of Brunei’s official residence. The name means ‘The Light of Faith Palace’ in English. It has about 1800 rooms and 200,000 sq m.
PRESIDENTIAL PALACE, VILNIUS, LITHUANIA
The construction of this palace began in the 14th century but it wasn’t completed until 1834. After several refurbishments, the site only became the official residence of the country’s president in 1997.
MOSCOW KREMLIN, RUSSIA
The official residence of the president of Russia is a complex that includes five palaces and four cathedrals.
QUIRINAL PALACE, ITALY
This palace is one of the largest official residences in the world and it is 20 times larger than the White House, with an area of 110,000 sq m.
BELLEVUE PALACE, GERMANY
It is the official residence of the President of Germany since 1994 and started to be built in 1785.
GOVERNMENT PALACE, PERU
It is the official residence of the country’s president and was built in 1937 by the architect Ricardo de Jaxa Malachowski.
ROYAL PALACE OF BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
Located in the center of Brussels, the palace took 150 years to be built. The palace can be visited every summer between July 22 and September 7.
ROYAL PALACE, OSLO, NORWAY
The palace has 173 rooms and was built in the first half of the 19th century to become the residence of King Charles III.
DAR AL-MAKHZEN, MOROCCO
Built in 1864, this site is the official residence of the Moroccan monarchy.
BANGABHABAN, BANGLADESH
Built in the first half of the 20th century, the complex consists of three-story buildings with a large front garden. This is where the president of Bangladesh lives and works.
PRESIDENTIAL PALACE, WARSAW, POLAND
Having served various purposes as the Council of Ministers’ headquarters, in 1994 the palace became the official residence of the president of Poland.
