Reichstag (parliament building) in Berlin, Germany


The Reichstag building in Berlin was constructed to house the Reichstag, the first parliament of the German Empire. It was opened in 1894 and housed the Reichstag until 1933, when it was severely damaged in a fire supposedly set by a Dutch communist, Marinus van der Lubbe, who was later beheaded for the crime. That verdict has been a subject of controversy over the years. The National Socialist German Workers Party used this event as casus belli to begin a purge of "traitors" in Berlin and to ban the KPD, the German Communist Party. The building remained in ruins until the reunification of Germany, when it underwent reconstruction led by internationally renowned architect Norman Foster. After its completion in 1999, it became the meeting place of the modern German parliament, the Bundestag. The Reichstag as a parliament dates back to the Holy Roman Empire and ceased to act as a true parliament in the years of the Nazi regime (1933–1945). In today's usage, the German term Reichstag or Reichstagsgebaude (Reichstag building) refers to the building, while the term Bundestag refers to the institution.


Size: 5242px × 3493px
Location: Reichstag, Berlin, Germany, Europe
Photo credit: © DE ROCKER / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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