Reichstag in Berlin

The Reichstag is the seat of the German parliament, which today is called the Bundestag. The word Reichstag, as a designation of the parliament, was used until the period of the Third Reich, as the German state was officially named during the Nazi regime. Since 1999, the renovated Reichstag building houses the parliament again under the name of Bundestag. This unique construction is largely known as one of the symbols of Berlin and is undoubtedly its leading landmark attracting millions of visitors every year. Apart from visiting plenary sessions of the Bundestag, tourists from all over the world are drawn to the huge glass dome of the building, from where a spectacular view of the city opens before their eyes. The dome itself was designed by the architect Norman Foster and constructed in 1993 in commemoration of the reunification of Germany.

The turbulent history of the Reichstag, which in fact mirrors the endless vicissitudes in the history of Germany since the 19th Century, began more than 130 years ago with the establishment of the German Empire in 1871. Following the need of a large and imposing building to house the parliament instead of the existing scattered ones, the government decided to launch a contest for designing and constructing a brand new building to fulfil the requirements. However, misunderstandings and arguments between Emperor Wilhelm I, Otto von Bismarck and the members of the parliament resulted in more than a ten-year delay of the realisation. Eventually, in 1884, the foundation stone of the new structure designed by Paul Wallot was laid and after a decade, in 1894, the new home of the German parliament was inaugurated. In 1916, the emblematic inscription "Dem Deutschen Volke" ("To the German People") was engraved on the facade of the Reichstag, in spite of the opposition of Emperor Wilhelm II.

The troubled times between the two World Wars proved disastrous for the Reichstag, as on February 27, 1933 it was set on fire under obscure circumstances. This put an end to the functioning of the building and the institution for the period of the Third Reich. Instead, it was incidentally used for propaganda meetings and for military purposes. After the war, the destroyed building was rebuilt in a simplified form without the dome following the plans of Paul Baumgarten. It was situated just next to the Berlin Wall and housed an exhibition called 'Fragen an die Deutsche Geschichte' ('Questions on the German History'). After the reunification the capital was again moved from Bonn to Berlin and the Bundestag made the decision to use the Reichstag building for its sessions. For this purpose, it had to be renovated and in 1995, the Bulgarian artist Christo wrapped the entire construction, thus making it one of the most unusual points of cultural interest in Europe. Finally, in 1999 the whole construction work was finished, including the newly erected dome, and the seat of the parliament was officially moved to the new building. Since then, the venue is accessible for public visits both in the meeting halls after prior registration and in the dome which attracts huge crowds, especially in the summer.