The first assemblies of the Council of Europe used to take place in the stately, 1880s main building of Strasbourg University, the former Kaiser-Wilhelms-Universität.

[6] It was built on the site of a tennis court that had been inaugurated in the 1930s and also used to serve as an ice rink in winter.

The Palace of Europe is located in the "European District" of Strasbourg, about two kilometres northeast of the Grande Île.

From the outside, the Palace of Europe resembles a fortress, since the rows of windows are arranged like arrow slits.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe uses the large debating chamber in the centre of the building, called the Hemicycle, famous for its unusual architecture.