Reichstag Building

The Reichstag stands on Platz der Republik in the Tiergarten area of central Berlin, next to the Brandenburg Gate. It is the seat of the Bundestag, Germany's federal parliament, and also hosts the Federal Convention that elects the German president.

The building was designed by Paul Wallot and completed in 1894 to house the parliament of the German Empire. A fire in February 1933 badly damaged it and was used by the Nazis to suspend civil rights. The building was heavily damaged in the Second World War, and Soviet soldiers raised a flag on its roof in 1945. During the Cold War it stood just inside West Berlin, next to the Wall.

After reunification, British architect Norman Foster rebuilt the interior, and the Bundestag moved in in 1999. In 1995, before the work began, artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped the building in fabric.

The glass dome sits above the plenary hall, with a mirrored cone that reflects daylight into the chamber. Visitors walk up a spiral ramp to a rooftop terrace with views across Berlin. Entry is free but must be booked in advance online with personal details, and ID is checked at a security screening.

Look up at the main portico for the words Dem deutschen Volke, To the German people. They were added in 1916, against the wishes of Kaiser Wilhelm II, who had tried to block an inscription with such a democratic message. The 1933 fire was blamed on Marinus van der Lubbe, a Dutch council communist, and Hitler used it to attack the Communists and push through emergency powers.

Foster redesigned the building between 1995 and 1999 and kept traces of its past in plain sight. Bullet holes and graffiti left by Soviet soldiers after the battle for Berlin in April and May 1945 were preserved on interior walls; slogans judged offensive were removed after talks with Russian diplomats. The keys were handed to the Bundestag president, Wolfgang Thierse, on 19 April 1999, and parliament sat there for the first time that day.

Visits to the dome and roof terrace are booked through the Bundestag website, and a free audio guide describes the buildings seen from the spiral ramp. Bring the photo ID you used to register.