Sunday, February 24, 2013

Visit to the Reichstag

One of the best sites we enjoyed in Berlin was the Reichstag or parliament building. The dedication Dem deutschen Volke, meaning To the German people, can be seen on the architrave.

Originally designed after the unification of Germany in 1872, the building had an incredible history including being heavily damaged after WWII. A fire in the building in 1933 provided the Nazi's with a justification for suspension of many rights of its citizens.
The building was basically in disrepair after WWII. after reunification, it was decided to renovate the building.
The large glass dome at the very top of the Reichstag has a 360-degree view of the surrounding Berlin cityscape. The main hall of the parliament below can also be seen from inside the dome, and natural light from above radiates down to the parliament floor.  Construction work was finished in 1999 and the seat of parliament was transferred to the Bundestag in April of that year.
The views of the city were incredible.

1 comment:

  1. LOVE all of these pics and seeing how much fun you guys had! xo Gret

    ReplyDelete