Dome interior
Once upon a time in Berlin, there was a parliamentary building called the Reichstag. It was opened by 1894. In 1933, somewhere after Hitler was “elected” the building mysteriously had a fire and was closed. As far as the Nazis were concerned, it was closed for good. In 1945, the Allies also blew it to smithereens. By 1956, the dome which was a mess, was demolished by the Russians. Eventually the wall came to be. West Germany moved their capital to Bonn, and the building went empty. Sixty-nine years after the end of WWII, I went to see it.
Memorial outside for the members of the Weimar Reichstag, who lost their lives.
The structure was originally planned in 1882, this is what the original adornment looked like from that period.
By 1995, after Reunification, construction began and by 1999, with a completely new interior, German parliament returned as the Bundestag. The dome became another story, as does this. The English architect, Norman Robert Foster’s redesign, gutted the interior and created the beautiful glass dome.
The glass dome itself becomes its own universe. Double ramps guide people up and down.
If you go to Berlin, please go and see it. It is a wonderland for adults, with one catch. You must make an appointment before, because you will be turned away. You can make the appointment online,
https://visite.bundestag.de/BAPWeb/pages/createBookingRequest.jsf?lang=en
Don’t forget to bring a passport, because you will need official ID.
thinkVisual/thinkMuseum 3 