Reichstag building

The old parliament building from the imperial era was rebuilt for the German Bundestag after reunification. Norman Foster gave it a new glass dome in which visitors can walk in a spiral above the debating chamber. A mirrored cone brings daylight down to the members of parliament.

The Reichstag was built in 1884–1894 to designs by Paul Wallot. It burned in 1933, an event the Nazis used to abolish democracy, and was badly damaged in the war. During the division of the city it stood right beside the Wall. After reunification the Bundestag decided in 1991 to move to Berlin, and Norman Foster won the competition for the conversion. The work was carried out in 1995–1999.

Foster kept the outer façades but completely rebuilt the interior. His first proposal was a large canopy over the whole building, but he was asked to give it a dome. He designed a dome of glass and steel in which two spiral ramps lead visitors up above the debating chamber. In the middle hangs a cone of mirrors that brings daylight into the chamber and also helps ventilate it. Inside, traces of history have been preserved, including graffiti by Soviet soldiers from 1945.

Before the conversion the artist couple Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped the whole building in fabric in the summer of 1995, an event that drew millions of visitors. The dome has become one of the most visited places in Berlin and a symbol of democratic openness, since citizens can look down on their representatives. The Reichstag shows how a historic building can gain new meaning through contemporary architecture.

• Contemporary architecture
• Norman Foster