The hub of Romanian political life, this square to the north of Calei Victorei is the site of successive seats of power: the Royal palace (1812-1815), which became the palace of the Republic in 1948; and the palace of the Senate, the former seat of the Romanian communist party. It was also at the centre of events during the revolution in the winter of 1989. Various monuments, notably the Renaissance monument, pay homage to those who died here.