Reichstag building

At the end of the 19th century, the architect Paul Wallot won a competition. It was the competition for the construction of the Reichstag. An exciting building history began and the iconic glass dome caused several problems.

Wallot planned it directly above the plenary hall, a coronation of democracy. Democracy in the empire? The German emperor was not fond of this idea and gave his veto to the plan. The construction work progressed and the discussions about the dome continued. The construction of a traditional dome is very complicated and needs precise static planning. The support from the Reichstag building was not sufficient, therefore, the architect had to approach the idea from a new perspective. To make the construction both as light and at the same time as stable as possible, he used glass and steel.

After the dome was destroyed and blown up several times, it was reconstructed and after the reunification, the government met again below this great construction. The famous glass dome, which still crowns the building today, was commissioned a short while later.

In the political history of the country, the Reichstag plays a special role as the center of the government. The Republic was proclaimed from a window in 1918, the ominous Reichstag fire in 1933 paved the way for the National Socialists, and today, it is the political center of the Federal Republic.

In 1995, it became a modern work of art when the artist couple Christo and Jeanne-Claude covered the Reichstag with silver fabric in a world-famous action.

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