Reichstag – On the shoulders of democracy

Reichstag, the German seat of the parliament, is located on a beautiful spot near river Spree in the middle of Berlin. The building has been designed at the end of the 19th century, as the newly founded German empire required a large parliament building — even if the parliament did not have any real power back then.

The building burned partially in 1933 and had severe damages. Nazis used this event to boost their party to grasp the power. Reichstag was not used by the nazi government and it was further damaged by Soviet troops at the end of the war.

After reunification, the parliament voted for moving from Bonn to Berlin. The building was reconstructed and a glass dome was added on the roof.

The dome is accessible to the public without fees. The views from the roof are magnificent, one can see Berlin city reaching out to every direction. The dome has the timeline of the building with most important events on show, and there is a restaurant/café facing to former East Berlin.

www.bundestag.de, Platz der Republik (Bus 100), Berlin, Germany, +49 30 2273 2152