Republic Square - Reichstag

The Reichstag, or better; the Reichstag building. The first stone of this building was laid in 1884 by Emperor Wilhelm I. Ten years later, the building, inspired by the Italian Renaissance - some call it neo-baroque - was ready for its intended purpose; meeting room for the representatives of the people. The emperor, a typical autocrat, was not particularly enthusiastic about the building; it was not to be taller than his own, now-gone, palace, and it was not to be within the borders of 'old' Berlin, and he eventually reluctantly agreed to the inscription that has hung on the facade since 1915 "To the German People".
Once inside the building, it is possible to see a 'living' artwork that is the current pendant of this text: To the German Population. Now, you can say about many buildings in Berlin that 'they were damaged in the war' but this is particularly true for the Reichstag: the building had lost, among other things, its stone dome due to the bombings and by 1933 a large part of the building had already burned down. The Dutch communist Marinus van der Lubbe was designated by the Nazis as the arsonist and executed. After 1961, the Wall ran right along the east facade of the Reichstag, simply hopelessly. In the 1960s, the building was restored, that is to say: without a dome. And now, the English architect Norman Foster has restored the parliament building and brought back the dome, this time made of glass to express the openness of the government and of democracy, symbolically then. Dome on Reichstag As you approach the Reichstag, you can see visitors spiraling up through the dome from a distance, a very attractive activity, considering the long lines of visitors. Inside the building, the exposed 'war graffiti' is also notable. A somewhat controversial wall decoration, applied by the Russians in 1945.

Toineke