When a large parliamentary building was required in Berlin, the Reichstag building was proposed and debated. The fights between Otto von Bismarck and Reichstag members delayed construction so an architectural contest was held. The winner, Frankfurt architect Paul Wallot, was asked to design a building in the Italian High Renaissance style that would feature a very large dome. In June 1884 the foundation stone for the building was laid and ten years later, the building was complete. Located on Platz der Republik, along the Spree River just north of Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag had four 40-meters-high towers.
After it opened in 1894, the Reichstag building housed the German Parliament. But in Feb 1933, the dome was ruined along with the rest of the building in a fire. Despite there being little evidence to blame anyone in particular, it was blamed on the Communists. The remains and the dome were further demolished with the bombings of Berlin through WW2 and the eventual liberation of Berlin by the Soviets in 1945.
With the new Constitution of 1949, the Bundestag was established as the new West German parliament in Bonn.
The Bundestag/Lower House decided to rebuild the Reichstag building in Berlin, this time without a dome; the original had been demolished in 1954 as structurally unsound. The decorative figures that had been destroyed were not restored, and the façade was simplified. While the Reichstag was partially reconstructed in the 1960s as a conference centre, the dome was not. Renovations to the building were carried out according to plans by Paul Baumgarten and were completed in 1972.
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The Reichstag in Berlin
transformed by Norman Foster from 1993
With the reunification of Germany and the decision to move the capital from Bonn back to Berlin, it was decided that the old Reichstag building should be re-built along with a new dome that emphasised a unified Germany. The transparent design of the Reichstag dome was intended to symbolise Berlin's attempt to move away from a past of Nazism and turn instead towards a united, democratic Germany.
The Reichstag in Berlin was the site of German reunification ceremonies in Oct 1990. British architect Sir Norman Foster was commissioned in 1992 to transform the renovated C19th building into the new home of a unified German Parliament. Foster began to rebuild the Reichstag in 1993, focusing on the glass dome that was constructed on top. The distinctive appearance of the new dome, which derives from a 1988 design by Gottfried Böhm, has made it a prominent landmark in Berlin.
Foster’s Reichstag was deliberately intended to be viewed from above. His brilliant gleaming glass and metal dome directly overlooked the debating chamber for the Bundestag, allowing the German people to watch their Government’s Parliamentary proceedings down below. Citizens were now democratic and "above government", as opposed to how German society had existed under National Socialism.
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Inside the glass dome
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After it opened in 1894, the Reichstag building housed the German Parliament. But in Feb 1933, the dome was ruined along with the rest of the building in a fire. Despite there being little evidence to blame anyone in particular, it was blamed on the Communists. The remains and the dome were further demolished with the bombings of Berlin through WW2 and the eventual liberation of Berlin by the Soviets in 1945.
With the new Constitution of 1949, the Bundestag was established as the new West German parliament in Bonn.
The Bundestag/Lower House decided to rebuild the Reichstag building in Berlin, this time without a dome; the original had been demolished in 1954 as structurally unsound. The decorative figures that had been destroyed were not restored, and the façade was simplified. While the Reichstag was partially reconstructed in the 1960s as a conference centre, the dome was not. Renovations to the building were carried out according to plans by Paul Baumgarten and were completed in 1972.
transformed by Norman Foster from 1993
With the reunification of Germany and the decision to move the capital from Bonn back to Berlin, it was decided that the old Reichstag building should be re-built along with a new dome that emphasised a unified Germany. The transparent design of the Reichstag dome was intended to symbolise Berlin's attempt to move away from a past of Nazism and turn instead towards a united, democratic Germany.
The Reichstag in Berlin was the site of German reunification ceremonies in Oct 1990. British architect Sir Norman Foster was commissioned in 1992 to transform the renovated C19th building into the new home of a unified German Parliament. Foster began to rebuild the Reichstag in 1993, focusing on the glass dome that was constructed on top. The distinctive appearance of the new dome, which derives from a 1988 design by Gottfried Böhm, has made it a prominent landmark in Berlin.
Foster’s Reichstag was deliberately intended to be viewed from above. His brilliant gleaming glass and metal dome directly overlooked the debating chamber for the Bundestag, allowing the German people to watch their Government’s Parliamentary proceedings down below. Citizens were now democratic and "above government", as opposed to how German society had existed under National Socialism.
Note the inverted cone of mirrors in the middle, and the spiralling ramps.
The Bundestag today, flooded with natural light
In the absence of the 709 Parliamentarians, guides can take tourists around the building.
The dome is open to the public and the roof terrace above can be reached by climbing two steel, spiralling, double-helix-type ramps. The dome thus works as a viewing platform with clear panels, from which the public could view the entire city. In fact the 360° view of the surrounding Berlin cityscape includes both East and West.
The glass dome was specifically designed by Foster to be environmentally friendly. He wrote that the cupola is both a generative element in the internal workings of the building and a key component in our light & energy saving strategies. It communicates the themes of lightness, transparency, permeability and public access that underscore the project.
A skylight, with a significant inverted cone of mirrors in the middle of the opening of the dome, directs sunlight into the building and draws light into the plenary chamber. A large sun shield tracks the movement of the sun electronically and blocks direct sunlight, thus effectively decreasing the carbon emissions of the building.
Foster was awarded the Pritzker Prize in 1999 for his work on the building, which has become one of the top tourist destinations in Berlin. It is known for sleek, modern designs of steel and glass, an innovative architectural dome design that was described as a sculpture of light.
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Käfer Dachgarten Restaurant
In the absence of the 709 Parliamentarians, guides can take tourists around the building.
The dome is open to the public and the roof terrace above can be reached by climbing two steel, spiralling, double-helix-type ramps. The dome thus works as a viewing platform with clear panels, from which the public could view the entire city. In fact the 360° view of the surrounding Berlin cityscape includes both East and West.
The glass dome was specifically designed by Foster to be environmentally friendly. He wrote that the cupola is both a generative element in the internal workings of the building and a key component in our light & energy saving strategies. It communicates the themes of lightness, transparency, permeability and public access that underscore the project.
A skylight, with a significant inverted cone of mirrors in the middle of the opening of the dome, directs sunlight into the building and draws light into the plenary chamber. A large sun shield tracks the movement of the sun electronically and blocks direct sunlight, thus effectively decreasing the carbon emissions of the building.
Foster was awarded the Pritzker Prize in 1999 for his work on the building, which has become one of the top tourist destinations in Berlin. It is known for sleek, modern designs of steel and glass, an innovative architectural dome design that was described as a sculpture of light.
The architect’s final task was to design a restaurant that is publicly accessible all year round in the national parliament building. The exterior of this rooftop restaurant is a big box, placed on the Reichstag’s eastern wing next to the crowning glass dome. And the restaurant’s interior is simple. But the views east across the German capital are amazing and the food is rich and very interesting eg the beer-and-sausage Bavarian breakfast. Reservations and security checks are essential! Is the German Bundestag the only parliament building in the world to include a fine public restaurant?
The German Bundesratis the Upper House legislative body that represents the sixteen federated states of Germany at the national level. The Bundesrat meets in a separate Berlin building.
The German Bundesratis the Upper House legislative body that represents the sixteen federated states of Germany at the national level. The Bundesrat meets in a separate Berlin building.