Reichstag (building)
|
The Reichstag building. The dedication DEM DEUTSCHEN VOLKE â€" "To the German people" â€" can be seen on the architrave. |
The
Reichstag building in
Berlin was constructed to house the
Reichstag, the original
parliament of the
German Empire. It was opened in
1894 and housed the Reichstag until
1933. It again became the seat of the German parliament in
1999 after a reconstruction led by internationally renowned architect
Norman Foster.
Today's parliament of
Germany is called the
Bundestag. The
Reichstag as a parliament dates back to the
Holy Roman Empire and ceased to act as a true parliament in the years of
Nazi Germany (
1933-
1945). In today's usage, the
German term
Reichstag refers to the building, while the term
Bundestag refers to the institution.
|
The Reichstag in the late 19th century |
Construction of the building began only well after
1871. Previously, the parliament had assembled in several other buildings in the Leipziger Straße in Berlin; but these were generally considered too small, so in
1872 an architectural contest with 103 participating architects was carried out to erect an all-new building. Work did not start until ten years later though, due to various problems with purchasing property for the new building and arguments between
Wilhelm I,
Otto von Bismarck, and the members of the
Reichstag about how the construction should be performed.
|
A sketch of the Reichstag at the time of its opening in 1894 |
In
1882, another architectural contest was held, with 189 architects participating. This time the winner, the
Frankfurt architect
Paul Wallot, would actually have his plan executed. On
June 9,
1884, the foundation stone was finally laid by
Wilhelm I. Before construction was completed in
1894, Wilhelm I died (in
1888, the
Year of Three Emperors). His successor,
Wilhelm II, objected to parliament as an institution to a much greater extent. The original building was most acclaimed for the construction of an original
cupola of steel and glass, a technical masterpiece of the time.
After
World War I had ended and the
Kaiser had
abdicated, during the revolutionary days of
1918,
Philipp Scheidemann proclaimed the institution of a republic from one of the balconies of the
Reichstag building on
November 9. The building continued to be the seat of the parliament of the
Weimar Republic (
1919-
1933), which was still called
Reichstag.
Third Reich
|
Memorial to the 96 Reichstag members of left and center eliminated by the Nazis. |
|
The Reichstag building was set on fire in 1933. |
After
Adolf Hitler had been appointed
Reichskanzler on
January 30,
1933, the building was set on fire on
February 27,
1933, under circumstances not yet entirely clear (see
Reichstag fire). This proved to be a valuable excuse for the
Nazis to suspend most human rights provided for by the
1919 constitution in the
Reichstag Fire Decree.
Contrary to popular belief, during the 12 years of
National Socialist rule, the
Reichstag building was not used for parliamentary sessions. Instead, the few times where the
Reichstag convened at all, it did so in the
Krolloper building, a former opera opposite the
Reichstag building. This applies as well to the session of
March 23,
1933, in which the
Reichstag disposed of its powers in favor of the Nazi government in the
Enabling Act another step of the so-called
Gleichschaltung, the legal steps through which the Nazis seized power. The building (which was unusable after the fire anyway) was instead used for propaganda presentations and, during
World War II, for military purposes. It was also considered to be turned into a
Flak Tower, due to its general similarity, but was found to be structurally unsuitable.
|
Graffiti inside the ruins of the Reichstag |
The building was further damaged by air raids. During the
Battle of Berlin in
1945, it became one of the central targets for the
Red Army probably mostly for its symbolic significance. Today, visitors to the building can still see Soviet
graffiti on smoky walls inside as well as on some of the roof, discovered and preserved during the reconstructions after reunification (see below).
Cold War
When the
Cold War emerged, the building was within
West Berlin, but only a few meters from the border of
East Berlin, which in
1961 was closed by the
Berlin Wall. During the
Berlin blockade, an enormous number of West Berliners assembled before the building on
September 9,
1948, and Mayor
Ernst Reuter held a famous speech that finalized in the call,
Ihr Völker der Welt, schaut auf diese Stadt! (Peoples of the world, look upon this city!)
After the war, the building was essentially a ruin. In addition, there were no real use for it, since the capital of
West Germany had been moved to
Bonn in
1949. Still, in
1956, after some debate, it was decided that the
Reichstag should not be taken down, but instead be restored. Unfortunately, the cupola of the original building, which had also been heavily damaged in the war, was demolished. Another architectural contest was held, and the winner,
Paul Baumgarten, reconstructed the building from
1961-
1964. The artistic and practical value of his work was the subject of much debate after German reunification. Due to the provisions set forth for Berlin by the Allies in the
1971 Four Power Agreement on Berlin, the
Bundestag, the parliament of
West Germany of that time, was not allowed to assemble formally in West Berlin (even though
East Germany was in violation of this provision since it had declared East Berlin its capital anyway). Until
1990, the building was thus used only for occasional representative meetings and for a widely lauded permanent exhibition about
German history called
Fragen an die deutsche Geschichte (Questions to German history).
Reunification
|
Atop the Reichstag building (2003) |
|
The Reichstag building (June 2003) |
|
Reichstag building at night, 2002 |
The official
German reunification ceremony on
October 3,
1990, was held at the
Reichstag building, including
Bundeskanzler Helmut Kohl,
Bundespräsident Richard von Weizsäcker, former
Bundeskanzler Willy Brandt and many others. It was a touching event with huge fireworks, fondly remembered by many. One day later, the parliament of the united Germany would assemble in an act of symbolism in the
Reichstag building.
However, at that time, the role of
Berlin had not yet been decided upon. Only after a fierce debate, considered by many one of the most memorable sessions of parliament, the
Bundestag concluded on
June 20,
1991, with a quite slim majority that both government and parliament should return to Berlin from Bonn.
In
1992,
Norman Foster won yet another architectural contest for the reconstruction of the building. His winning concept looked very different from what was later executed. Notably, the original design did not include a cupola.
Before reconstruction began, the
Reichstag was wrapped by the
Bulgarian artist
Christo and his wife
Jeanne-Claude in 1995, attracting millions of visitors.
During the reconstruction, the building was first almost completely gutted, taking out everything except the outer walls, including all changes made by Baumgarten in the 1960s. The seat of parliament was transferred to the
Reichstag in April 1999. The reconstruction is widely regarded as a success; the
Reichstag, most importantly the huge glass cupola that was erected on the roof as a gesture to the original 1894 cupola, is one of the most visited attractions in Berlin, giving an impressive view over the city, especially at night. The main hall of the parliament below can also be seen from the cupola, and natural light from above radiates down to the parliament floor. A large sun shield tracks the movement of the sun electronically and blocks direct sunlight which might blind those below. It is open to anyone without prior registration, although the waiting queues can be very long, especially in the summer.
We conceived the Reichstag not as a sequestered chamber building, but rather as a gathering place… so on top of all these working levels, the public realm reasserts itself in the great roof terrace and a restaurant which Legislators, the press and members of the public can share. â€" Norman Foster
*
Website of Berlin*
Website of German parliament*
Panorama Reichstag - Interactive Panorama from the Platz der Republik
*
Wrapped Reichstag*
Photo of the Reichstag from 1993*
Photos of the Reichstag from 1989 and Photos of the 1945 Battle for the Reichstag.
