Located in London, the Palace of Westminster holds the two parts of Parliament, the House of Commons and the House of Lords. They are often referred to as the Houses of Parliament. The palace is close to the River Thames. The architecture is in the neo-Gothic style. The oak roof was a major achievement in medieval woodworking. The Palace of Westminster is often considered a symbol of the magnificence of constitutional monarchy and the British Parliament set the standard for dual parliamentary systems. It was built in 1016, and rebuilt after the fire of 1834.

The cathedral of Notre-Dame is located in Paris, France. Though the construction of the cathedral was completed in the 1300s, it did, and continues to serve as a great historical importance. A significant role that the cathedral played in the romantic era was that it housed the coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte as Emperor of the French. A controversial coronation by an essentially self-appointed "divine ruler" happened in the midst of romanticism. Napoleon is a notorious figure who reigned during peak romantic years. 

Paris is the center of Victor Hugo's classic 1862 novel Les Miserables. Although many of the events of the book are scattered around France, the pinnacle points of Les Mis, such as the June Rebellion, the suicide of Javert, and the death of Jean Valjean happen in Paris. Hugo is well known for his attention to detail, and he does not fail to excite readers with an accurate view of Paris during the post-revolution riots.