Berlin Reichstag

The Reichstag, the base of the German Parliament, is one of Berlin’s most historic attractions. It is near to the Brandenburger Tor and previous to the unification, it was right next to the wall and to many Ferienwohnungen Berlin.

After the creation of the German Empire in 1872, there was a need for a large parliamentary edifice in Berlin. Paul Wallot created an imposing neo- renaissance building, 137m long and 97m wide ( 450×318 ft ).
The building was constructed between 1884 and 1894, mainly subsidized with wartime reparation cash from France. The famous inscription ‘Dem Deutschen Volke’ ( To the German folks ) was only added in 1916. It was to the displeasure of Wilhelm II who had tried to dam the adding of the inscription for its democratic importance. After World War I had finished and Wilhelm had surrendered, in the revolutionary days of 1918, Philipp Scheidemann proclaimed the establishment of a republic from one of the balconies of the Reichstag building on 9 November. The building continued to be the seat of the parliament of the Weimar Republic ( 1919-1933 ), which was still called the Reichstag.

In 1933 fire broke out in the building, destroying lots of the Reichstag. It is to date still confusing who started the fire, but the Communists were blamed. It gave a lift to Hitler’s Party, the NSDAP, who would shortly come to power. The building was damaged even more 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 famed 20th century images and symbolized Germany’s defeat.

The central dome and most of the ornamentation were removed in the reconstruction after the war. After the unification the decision was made to move the Bundestag from Bonn back to Berlin.
Before reconstruction commenced, the Reichstag was wrapped by the North American artists Christo and his wife Jeanne-Claude in 1995, attracting millions of visitors. The project was backed by the artists through the sale of preparatory drawings and collages, as well as early works of the 1950s and 1960s.

in the reconstruction, the building was first almost completely gutted, taking out everything except the outer walls, including all changes made by Baumgarten in the 1960s. Although not undisputed for its absence of respect for the building’s original design and furniture, the reconstruction, finished in April 1999, is widely regarded as a hit. The Reichstag is one of the most visited attractions in Berlin, not least because of the enormous glass dome that was erected on the roof as a gesture to the original 1894 cupola, giving a powerful view over the town, especially at night.

The design by Sir Norman Foster added a glass dome over the plenary hall. Initially the topic of much furore, the dome has changed into one of the town’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.

The Reichstag dome is the giant glass dome at the very top of the building. The dome has a 360-degree outlook of the surrounding Berlin cityscape. The major hall of the parliament below can also be seen from the cupola, and natural light from above radiates down to the parliament floor. An enormous sun shield tracks the movement of the sun electronically and blocks direct daylight which might bedazzle those below. Building work was finished in 1999 and the seat of parliament was moved to the Bundestag in April of that year. The dome is open to anyone without previous registration, though the waiting queues can be terribly long, in particular in summertime. Come and visit it from your Berlin Ferienwohnung.

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