Reichstag
There may be no more impressive building in Berlin than the Reichstag. Standing before its massive facade, illuminated against the evening sky, it is impossible not to feel the weight of the history that has unfolded here. More than just a government building, the Reichstag has witnessed the rise and fall of empires, the turmoil of war, the division of a nation, and the eventual reunification of Germany.
Completed in 1894 as the home of the German Parliament, the Reichstag became a symbol of the newly unified German Empire. Its history has been anything but ordinary. In 1933, a devastating fire swept through the building, an event that the Nazi government used to justify emergency measures that suspended civil liberties and helped pave the way for Adolf Hitler’s consolidation of power. The Reichstag suffered further destruction during World War II, becoming one of the focal points of the Battle of Berlin in 1945. Photographs of Soviet soldiers raising their flag over the Reichstag became some of the most iconic images marking the end of the war in Europe.
For decades after the war, the building stood near the Berlin Wall, a reminder of Germany’s division. Following reunification, the Reichstag underwent restoration and the most striking addition was the glass dome that now crowns the building. The dome was designed as a symbol of transparency allowing visitors to look down into the parliamentary chambers below
The building represents Germany’s remarkable journey through challenging chapters of modern history. The Reichstag illustrates a nation’s ability to confront its past, rebuild and move forward.
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