Reichstag
Parliament and Mirror of German History
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The Reichstag is the seat of the German Bundestag or federal government and, with its new dome, one of the Berlin's biggest crowd-draws. Its colorful past reflects the turbulence of German history since the 19th century. The Reichstag was constructed from 1884-94 by Paul Wallot, since a representative building was needed to house the parliament of the newly-founded German state. The inscription "Dem Deutschen Volke" ("To the German people") was only added in 1916 during the First World War, because Wilhelm II. had previously been against it. On 9 November 1918, the politician Philipp Scheidemann announced the establishment of the Republic from one of its windows. Part of the Reichstag was destroyed in a fire on 27 February 1933: the exact cause has never been identified, but the fire was used by the Nazis to justify their persecution of political opponents. After the war, the devastated building was rebuilt in a simplified form from 1961-71 to plans by Paul Baumgarten, but it was not used for parliamentary functions. The dome, which had been blown up in 1945, was not rebuilt. Inside the edifice bordering the Berlin wall there was an exhibition, "Questions on German History", which is now displayed in the Deutscher Dom. After reunification, the German Federal Government decided to use the building as a parliament once again. From 1994-99 the Reichstag was reconstructed and extended by the Architect Sir Norman Forster, taking into consideration both the immense historical implications and its function as a modern working parliament, and adding an accessible dome. Before the renovation work began in 1994, the building became the stage for one of the most spectacular art events in Europe: it was wrapped by Christo and Jeanne Claude. The glass dome, which was at first the subject of great controversy, has now become one of the newest landmarks in the city. Since 1999 the Reichstag building has once again been the seat of the German Bundestag. |
| Reichstag |
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Platz der Republik 1 11011 Berlin-Tiergarten Tel.: 227 32 152 Fax: 227 300 27 www.bundestag.de besucherdienst@bundestag.de |
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Brandenburger Tor: S1, S2 100
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| Explore Berlin-Tiergarten |
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Talks are held on the visitors gallery of the plenary chamber of the German Bundestag during periods when parliament is not sitting. Please book in writing as early as possible due to limited availability. Please see the homepage, www.bundestag.de. |
| Entrance |
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