Reichstag building

The official German reunification ceremony on 3 October 1990, was held at the Reichstag building, including Chancellor Helmut Kohl, President Richard von Weizsäcker, former Chancellor Willy Brandt and many others. The event included huge firework displays, and was fondly remembered by many. One day later, the parliament of the united Germany would assemble in an act of symbolism in the Reichstag building.

However, at that time, the role of Berlin had not yet been decided upon. Only after a fierce debate, considered by many one of the most memorable sessions of parliament, the Bundestag concluded on 20 June 1991, with a quite slim majority that both government and parliament should return to Berlin from Bonn.

In 1992, Norman Foster won yet another architectural contest for the reconstruction of the building. His winning concept looked very different from what was later executed. Notably, the original design did not include a cupola.

Before reconstruction began, the Reichstag was wrapped by the Bulgarian artist Christo and his wife Jeanne-Claude in 1995, attracting millions of visitors. The project was financed by the sale of parts of the wrapping material during and after the event.

During 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 lack of respect for the building's original design and furniture, the reconstruction is widely regarded as a success. The Reichstag is one of the most visited attractions in Berlin, not least because of the huge glass dome that was erected on the roof as a gesture to the original 1894 cupola, giving an impressive view over the city, especially at night.

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Reichstag dome

Inside Norman Foster's Dome, panoramic view, 2004.

Main article: Reichstag dome

The Reichstag dome is the iconic large glass dome at the top of the building. The dome has a 360 degree view of the surrounding Berlin cityscape. The main hall of the parliament below can also be seen from the cupola, and natural light from above radiates down to the parliament floor. A large sun shield tracks the movement of the sun electronically and blocks direct sunlight which might blind those below. Construction work was finished in 1999 and the seat of parliament was transferred to the Reichstag in April of that year. The dome is open to anyone without prior registration, although the waiting queues can be very long, especially in summer.

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Notes

^ Marinus van der Lubbe was officially pardoned by the German state in January 2008, 75 years after his conviction and beheading. In 1967 a Berlin court had symbolically changed the sentence of van der Lubbe to an eight-year prison and in 1980 the same court had lifted the sentence altogether. In 1981 a West German court overturned the conviction of van der Lubbe on the grounds that he was insane, however campaigners pressed for full state pardon on account of van der Lubbe having been convicted by a Nazi court. The full state pardon of van der Lubbe was made possible by a law passed in Germany in 1998. This exoneration is symbolic and will not lead to compensation for van der Lubbe's heirs.
Source: Kate Connolly, 75 years on, executed Reichstag arsonist finally wins pardon, The Guardian, Saturday 12 January 2008. [1]

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Gallery

A sketch of the Reichstag at the time of its opening in 1894	Memorial to the 96 Reichstag members of the opposition parties killed by the Nazis.	Graffiti inside the ruins of the Reichstag.	Reichstag in 1945.
Inside the cupola	building site Reichstag	On top of the Reichstag building, 2006.	Reichstag building at night, 2002.
One of the great windows located in one of the 4 corner-risalites, April 2002.	The Reichstag building, June 2003.	Panorama of the Reichstag Building, July 2006	Spiral walkway up to top of dome at Reichstag
Reichstag dome at night	Reichstag in Winter	Plenary Chamber of the Bundestag
Dem Deutschen Volke (To the German People)