Description

Essentials about the Reichstag building in brief

The Reichstag building, usually just called the Reichstag for short, is probably the best known building in the Federal Republic of Germany, as it appears in the news almost every day. Since 1999, the Reichstag has once again been the seat of the German Bundestag. The Reichstag building was built in the years 1884 to 1894 under the architect Paul Wallot in the neo-Renaissance style on the left bank of the Spree. Both in the German Empire and in the Weimar Republic, the Reichstag met here.

The architecture of the Reichstag building

After the severe damage caused by the Reichstag fire of 1933 and during World War II, the building was restored in the 1960s but was no longer used as a parliament building. After the decision to make Berlin the capital of a reunified Germany, the Reichstag building was redesigned in the 1990s according to plans by British star architect Sir Norman Foster into a modern parliament building without, however, destroying the historic substance of the Reichstag.

The new eye-catcher and architectural highlight of the redesign is the 40-meter-wide, 23-meter-high and 800-ton glass dome. On the inside of the dome, two spiral paths lead up to the viewing platform and back down to the roof terrace. From the dome, the plenary chamber of the Bundestag can be viewed from above.

Visiting the Reichstag building

After prior registration, you can visit the Reichstag in three ways: First, on a guided 90-minute tour; second, by attending a plenary session of the Bundestag; or third, by visiting the Reichstag dome and roof terrace for free.

Website

www.bundestag.de

Opening hours

Opening hours of the dome and roof terrace (A visit is only possible with prior reservation. Last admission is at 9:45 pm):

Admission fees

All visits to the Reichstag (dome and roof terrace, plenary session or guided tour) are free of charge.

Address

Getting there

By public transport

U55: Stop Bundestag

Bus line 100: Stop Reichstag/Bundestag

By car:

The nearest parking garages are Parkhaus Adlon and Tiefgarage Hauptbahnhof.