Reichstag (German parliament building and historical assembly)

Institutional history

As an institution, the Reichstag referred to the elected assembly of the German Empire (established after 1871) and to the parliament of the Weimar Republic that followed World War I. During the early 1930s the institution was central to political contest and crisis; the 1933 Reichstag Fire was used by the Nazi government to justify emergency measures that curtailed civil liberties and weakened parliamentary government.

Architecture and site

The Berlin Reichstag building was designed by Paul Wallot and completed in the 1890s to house the Imperial Reichstag. A prominent inscription on its facade reads Dem Deutschen Volke (To the German People), added in the First World War era. Severely damaged in World War II, the structure bore the scars of the Battle of Berlin and later displayed Soviet graffiti that testified to 1945 street fighting.

Following German reunification, a major restoration and redesign led by architect Norman Foster transformed the building. A contemporary glass dome and light-filled circulation routes were added to sit above the historic chamber, intended to give visitors a view into the parliamentary space and to symbolize civic oversight and transparency.

20th-century transformations

During the Cold War the Reichstag building was not used as the seat of the national legislature; West Germany's parliament met in Bonn. After reunification, Germany's government decided to move the seat back to Berlin and the restored Reichstag again became the home of the Bundestag at the end of the 20th century. The restored building now combines memorial elements, exhibition spaces and visitor facilities with active parliamentary use.

Uses, symbolism and public access

• As institution: "Reichstag" historically denotes national assemblies and the political practices and constitutional forms associated with them.
• As building: the Berlin Reichstag is both an active seat of parliament and a museum-like site with exhibitions on German history and the workings of government.
• Symbolism: the modern glass dome is widely interpreted as a deliberate expression of openness, accountability and the link between citizens and representatives.

Understanding the Reichstag requires distinguishing the historical institution — a parliamentary form shaped by constitutional change, crises and contestation — from the landmark building in Berlin, an architectural object repeatedly adapted to new political realities and public meanings. Both senses remain central to German political memory and civic life.