The Reichstag building in Berlin has a peculiar history, tightly interwoven with that of Germany. Not only is it one of the city’s most important buildings, but it has been the stage for the saddest and the happiest events of the German nation.
Construction of the German parliament began in 1884 to a design by architect Paul Wallot (the foundation stone was laid by Emperor Wilhelm I, the same one to whom the Memorial Church was dedicated), but the building was only completed in 1894, under Wilhelm II. The four corner towers, according to the most common reading, would represent the four kingdoms of the empire: Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Württemberg.
The base of the German parliament is neoclassical, with imposing, linear forms. But the finest element was, and still is, its dome: the original one, in iron and glass and crowned by the imperial crown, was a real technical gamble for its time.
Are you wondering whether you can visit the dome of the German parliament?
Of course you can, and it’s an experience I warmly recommend. Going up to the dome is free but requires booking in advance (with limited places); alternatively, a guided tour of the Reichstag gets you in hassle-free and pairs it with the Brandenburg Gate.
Want to know more about this building?
Let’s go!
The terrible history of Berlin’s Reichstag
As I said, the history of the Reichstag coincides with that of Germany, because it was the seat of almost every event that shaped the country’s fate.
It was built to celebrate the country’s unity, achieved in 1871 under Kaiser Wilhelm I. In 1918 Emperor Wilhelm II abdicated and Germany became what would later be called the Weimar Republic: it was the politician Philipp Scheidemann, from a window of the Reichstag, who proclaimed it to the world.
The famous inscription “Dem Deutschen Volke” (“to the German people”) that stands on the façade was only added in 1916, in the middle of the First World War; its bronze letters, it’s said, were cast from war cannons.
And then?
In 1933 the Reichstag played a part in the rise of Nazism with the great fire of 27 February. The fire of the German parliament was used by Hitler as a pretext to eliminate his communist opponents, accused of setting the blaze, and to suspend constitutional rights: the beginning of the dictatorship.
During the Second World War the building was heavily damaged by bombing. And in 1945, with the Battle of Berlin, it became the symbolic target of the Red Army: the photograph of the Soviet soldier raising the flag over the burning roof (taken by Yevgeny Khaldei) is one of the most iconic images of the twentieth century.
The new Reichstag
After the division of Berlin, the Reichstag building found itself in the western part of the city, right up against the Wall. But the capital of West Germany was not Berlin, it was Bonn, and that’s where parliament met: the building thus lost its function and was used only occasionally.
In the 1960s it was restored by architect Paul Baumgarten, who removed the remains of the old damaged dome: a much-criticised intervention. Only after the reunification of Germany (1990) was it decided to convert it again to house the parliamentary assembly.
In 1995, before the works, the building was “wrapped” in a famous contemporary artwork by the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, the Wrapped Reichstag: for two weeks the building disappeared under silvery fabric, drawing five million visitors.
Norman Foster’s dome
The reconstruction was entrusted to the British architect Norman Foster and followed some very interesting symbolic principles. The entrance for the public and that for the parliamentary assembly, for instance, are the same, as is the route inside.
The great glass dome, inaugurated with the return of the Bundestag to Berlin in 1999, was rebuilt in an entirely new way. From up there you can watch the parliamentary chamber sitting below, just as the members of parliament can see the visitors: the people they represent, literally above their heads.
The new dome is also a marvel of ecology. A great cone of mirrors at the centre reflects natural light into the chamber, while the rising hot air is expelled from the top; a sophisticated system harnesses solar power and renewable sources to make the building one of the “greenest” parliaments in the world.
Visiting the German parliament
Visiting the Reichstag in Berlin is a must and it’s free: it embodies public life par excellence and citizens are invited to take part. Guided tours are also organised inside, letting you discover the most interesting aspects of the building and of Berlin’s history.
I recommend booking in advance: registration for the dome is free but places are limited and often sell out, while a guided tour saves you the wait and adds the guide.
Careful! To enter the Reichstag you’ll need to show your booking confirmation, go through airport-style security and present an ID document.
Once inside, a lift takes you up to the great terrace, which offers one of the finest views over Berlin. An audio guide explains the city’s buildings, the history of the Reichstag and its quirks. I recommend walking all the way up the spiral that climbs to the top of the glass dome: it took my breath away!
The Reichstag in Berlin is the perfect synthesis of old and new, of a country full of scars yet more than ever turned towards the future. If you want to keep discovering the capital, take a look at my guide to Berlin and at the Gemäldegalerie, one of the city’s most beautiful museums.
