A palace is a gran residence, especially the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking public figure. In many European countries, such as France and Italy (but not Britain), the term is also applied to large (but not necessarily very large) urban buildings built as the private mansions of the aristocracy. Many historic palaces are now put to other uses such as parliaments, museums, hotels or office buildings. The difference between the English usage and that of most of Europe is that there a palace must be urban; in English it is the status of the owner rather than the location which defines a palace. The word is also sometimes used to describe a lavish public building which was never a residence; this use may be intended to convey that the building is a "people's palace", where a sort of civic consciousness resides.