While there are many places I can write about my travels, some definitely takes more time to gather all the thoughts together, write those down and then scan through my huge photo collection to select which ones to share. I wanted to write this month’s travel story about a country I haven’t written before but due to some busy times, travelling of course, I thought of writing a brief travel story concentrating on a single piece of architecture which I found really fascinating. That is the Reichstag building in Berlin, the capital of Germany.
I have been to few cities in Germany for short weekend trips and visited Berlin on one such trips. There are many sights which I enjoyed in the city from the Brandenburg Gate to the museums, Checkpoint Charlie, the East side Gallery, the department store Ka De We and many more. One of the iconic sights which I enjoyed exploring is the Reichstag building, the historic building in the city of Berlin which houses the Bundestag, the parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The Reichstag with its combination of old and new architecture is a pleasure to the eyes. Perhaps this is to do with my interest in buildings and how these were designed and constructed. Even the visitor entry to this building and its famous dome is free but prior registration is required. The Reichstag is the second most visited sight in Germany.
During World War II, the Reichstag suffered extensive damage. The restoration work of the building was carried out after the German reunification in 1990. The new reconstruction led by famous British Architect Norman Foster was completed in 1999.
The main attraction of the Reichstag building is its iconic glass dome which was built to replace the original cupola from 1894. Visitors are allowed to go up the glass dome up to the terrace from where 360-degrees views of Berlin can be enjoyed. The lit up dome during the night time also creates a grand view of the city skyline as one of Berlin’s well known landmarks.
On entering the building there is an exhibition “From the Reichstag to the Bundestag” which tells the story of the building from its origins to the present day with displays of photos, documents and nicely documented descriptions. This exhibition is organised on twelve display cases.
At the centre of this area of the building stands a mirrored cone structure which directs sunlight inside the building and visitors walking up the dome using the two ramps, which are designed like a double helix, can see the working chambers below on the reflection of the mirrored cone. There is a large sun shield which tracks the sun’s movement and helps to block direct sunlight from dazzling on anyone inside.
It is a great experience to walk up the ramps and at the same time enjoying the view at the bottom and also the reflection of visitors on the mirror blocks of the conical structure. The ramps lead up to the open terrace from where spectacular views of Berlin can be enjoyed. I was lucky enough to be there on a reasonably nice day weather wise.
After spending some time walking around the terrace, it was a nice way to walk down the ramp enjoying the reflections. The design of this dome is truly futuristic and left a nice impression on my memory of this place.
At the Reichstag visitors can attend services like lectures, visit to plenary sessions, guided tours and the exhibition on parliamentary history in the Deutscher Dom through prior registration.
If you visit Berlin, do try to keep some time aside to visit this iconic building. I am sure you’ll like the building, the exhibition, walking up the glass dome to the terrace and enjoying the lovely views of Berlin.
HELPFUL HINTS
- Entry to the Reichstag is free but advance registration is required which can be done through an online booking system.
- For booking on the day of the visit, registration can be done the Visitor’s Service centre with an original photo ID.
- The Visitor’s Service Centre is near the Reichstag Building and clearly marked.
- Admission is normally at every quarter of an hour till late evening. It is best to check the entry timings before your visit.
- Do try to keep about 2 hours to explore the building and the museum inside.
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