Reichstag

So, I realized after writing my last post that blogging only once a week was going to lead to excessively long posts that I find a bit overwhelming to write/other people probably find too long to read. So here is another blog post, a mere two days after my last one.

Today, I visited the Reichstag, the home of the German Bundestag (Parliament):

As you can see, the building is quite impressive in typical official government building style. However, like everything else in Germany, it has a completely fascinating history. The building was originally built in 1894 to house the Reichstag (the original German parliament). It did just that until 1933, when it was damaged in a fire, a pivotal moment in Hitler's rise to power. 

During WWII, the building was destroyed even more by Soviet troops. This damage can still be seen today, as some of the Soviet graffiti was preserved during reconstruction.

The Reichstag wasn't used as Germany's official parliamentary building again until 1999 after Germany's reunification and the restoration of the building in the mid 90s.

Random Fun Fact: The Reichstag was entirely wrapped in cloth by an artist before it was reconstructed in 1995. Here's a photo:

Source: http://althistory.wikia.com/wiki/The_World_Exhaled_at_Sarajevo

In previous German courses, we've had class discussions regarding how ridiculous this entire art installation was. I'm still not entirely sure whether it was brilliant or a huge waste of money.

In either case, the Reichstag was reconstructed and remodeled in 1999. Due to this reconstruction, in comparison to other legislative buildings I've seen (really just the US Capitol and Minnesota State Capitol) it's very modern stylistically. Here's a photo of the main chamber where the Bundestag meets:

A huge part of the 1999 renovation was building a glass cupola on the top of the building.

People can climb up to the top of the cupola and look down at the Bundestag chamber:

There are also some great views of Berlin, so I naturally took far too many photos. Here are a couple shots of the city:

Other interesting parts of  the Reichstag included a room specifically set aside for meditation, prayer, thought, and reflection and a memorial to all of the members of the Reichstag/Bundestag members who were elected democratically. 

Each of the members was given a box and placard including their name, party, and years of service. As another example of Vergangenheitsbewältigung, a single black box represents the Third Reich. Additionally, those parliamentary members who were victims of the Nazi regime are marked as victims of the Third Reich. 

It was interesting to see how the past (the memorial to former members, the remaining Soviet graffiti) was joined with the ultra-modern style of the renovation. I also found myself juxtaposing the style of the Reichstag with the US Capitol and as I write this, I'm wondering whether passing legislation in a highly traditional, historic locale or a newly built, modern space actually affects the legislative process. In either case, visiting the Reichstag was a great experience.