Reichstag or Bundestag?

This morning we jumped on a Tram and U- Bahn to head into the parliamentary quarter to visit one of Berlin’s most famous buildings. This was also high on the “must visit” list for this trip, having not managed to fit it in when we visited Berlin 10 years ago.

We booked several weeks ago for a lecture in English in the public gallery of the plenary chamber (no charge). We followed our instructions to arrive in good time for the security check, before we were taken into the building, and up to the public gallery.

Our guide told us the fascinating history of the Reichstag, which is the name for the imperial parliament, from its origins in the 17th century until this building was built to house the imperial parliament of the newly unified German Empire in the 1880s, opening in 1894. The building then continued to be the home of the parliament of the Weimar Republic from 1919 to 1933, which was still called the Reichstag. 4 weeks after the Nazis came to power, a serious fire rendered the building unusable and so the parliament moved out shortly before losing its powers under the Nazi regime. The building was further damaged in bombing raids and in the battle for Berlin in 1945, when the city was finally taken by the Soviet Army, who famously raised the red flag of the Soviet Union above the building.

Today the parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is the Bundestag (or Federal Parliament), and so the term „Reichstag“ now means only the building.

The Bundestag was formed in 1949 and was initially located in Bonn, and neither of the 2 Germanies were permitted to use the Reichstag whilst Berlin and Germany remained divided. During the 1960s, the Reichstag building was repaired in order to house a new plenary chamber for the Bundestag as a sign or promise of the Federal Republic’s intention to return to Berlin - but this was not used except for exhibitions and one off events.

After reunification, there was considerable debate over whether the Bundestag should stay in Bonn or move to Berlin and the Reichstag building. After a contentious and close vote in 1991, the decision was to return to Berlin.

The British architect Norman Foster won the competition to renovate the Reichstag building and did so completely gutting everything except for the external walls. The new structure includes the eye catching dome which acts both as a vent for hot air rising from the chamber below and bringing natural light into the chamber. More importantly, the glass dome (and public access) symbolises the openness and transparency of the working of the Bundestag for the German people.

One feature of the Reichstag which was inherited by the Bundestag is its half circle seating plan, so that all are notionally the same distance from the centre, and the members of parliament seated in their respective party groupings, from left to right. After each election, the desks and seats are rearranged to reflect the number of seats won by each party, leaving a gap to the next party’s seats.

The lecture was delivered in an enthusiastic and entertaining manner, and there was also time for a number of questions.

After the lecture, we went through a further security check (we were told to check for climbing equipment!) before we were allowed up onto the roof. Armed with an informative audio guide we set off up the helical ramp leading to the viewing platform, with tremendous views across the city as we climbed (and descended) the ramp as well as at the top.Leggi altro