The Reichstag, the seat of the German Parliament, is one of Berlin’s most historical landmarks. It is close to the Brandenburger Tor and before the unification, it was right next to the wall.
Construction
After the founding of the German Empire in 1872, there was a need for a large parliamentary building in Berlin. Paul Wallot designed an imposing neo-renaissance building, 137m long and 97m wide.
It was constructed between 1884 and 1894, mainly funded with wartime reparation money from France. The famous inscription ‘Dem Deutschen Volke’ (To the German People) was only added in 1916.
Fire Damage
In 1933 fire broke out in the building, destroying much of the Reichstag. It is to date still unclear who started the fire, but the Communists were blamed. It gave a boost to Hitler’s Party, the NSDAP, who would soon come to power. The building was even further damaged at the end of the war, when the Soviets entered Berlin. The picture of a Red Army Soldier raising the Soviet flag on the Reichstag is one of the most famous 20th century images and symbolized Germany’s defeat.
Glass dome
The central dome and most of the ornamentation were removed during the reconstruction after the war. After the unification the decision was made to move the Bundestag from Bonn back to Berlin.
This decision resulted in the latest reconstruction which started in 1995 and was completed in 1999. The design by Sir Norman Foster added a glass dome over the plenary hall. At first the subject of much controversy, the dome has become one of the city’s most recognized landmarks. Since April 1999, the Reichstag is once again the seat of the Bundestag. You can visit the Reichstag and walk all the way to the top of the dome.