Reconstructing the Reichstag: The Rebirth of Berlin

Jordan Barnes

World Architecture

Dr. Townsend

November 16, 2017

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The Reichstag: An Overview

The Reichstag, located in Berlin, Germany, is not just one of the city’s most famous

landmarks, it is also building that has an extensive and controversial history. The building’s

name, “Reichstag,” translates as “Imperial Diet,” and that is was its original purpose—to house

the German Reich. 1 The Reichstag was originally designed by Paul Wallot and completed in

1894. 2 The Reichstag housed the German Reich until 1933, when a fire destroyed the building

and triggered the events that led to Adolf Hitler’s dictatorship. While there were some

renovations post-WWII, the building went unused until 1993, when architect Norman Foster won

a design competition that gave him the contract to reconstruct the building. The most prominent

feature of Foster’s renovation is the glass dome in the center of the building. Because of Berlin’s

complicated history, the reconstruction of the building needed to embody the spirit of the city

post-reunification of the East and West. It was Foster’s reconstruction of the building that

became symbolic of the rebirth of Berlin.

History of the Reichstag Building

Following the Franco-Prussian war in 1870, Germany became the unified nation state

called the German Empire (or Reich). The declaration of the German Reich in 1871 is what

sparked the need for a building to house the newly unified government. After winning an

architectural contest held in 1882, Paul Wallot was commissioned to design the Reichstag. The

building was constructed with a mixture of several architectural styles, which symbolizes the

unification of the small German states and varying cultures within the German Empire. The

building is made out of sandstone blocks. Oriented towards the West, the front of the Reichstag

1 David Clay Large, Berlin, (New York: Basic Books, 2000), 6112 The word “Reichstag” can also refer to the German Empire. From this point forward, the use of the word “Reichstag” will refer to the building itself, unless specified otherwise.

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is about 460 feet wide. On each corner, there are towers. Wallot designed the exterior of the

building with characteristics from Italian Renaissance architecture. The Reichstag’s windows

are in the same fashion as Fillipo Brunelleschi’s Ospedale delgi Innocent with their rectangular

shape and Roman style pediments above. 3 The building is also ornamented with statues on the

roofline and includes a dome, which is similar to buildings from the Late Renaissance such as St.

Peter’s Basilica and Andrea Palladio’s Villa La Rotunda. Another similarity to Palladio’s work

is that the front of the building includes a triangular pediment over the entrance. The original

dome, however, was constructed from steel and glass, which is not typical of the traditional

Renaissance style. On the western facade of the building4, there was a twenty-foot statue entitled

Germania in the Saddle and a relief of St. George the Dragon Slayer. While the design was

supposed to embody the unification of Germany and parliamentary democracy, both the statue

and the relief on the building glorify the war. Many architects were not in favor of the building

due to its clashing styles and so called “banality of its sculptures. ”5 Historian Michael Cullen

wrote, “It was a house that could not decide what it wanted to be. ”6 The construction of this

building lasted for ten years was completed in 1894. 7 On the front of the building are the words

“DEM DEUTSCHEN VOLKE,” meaning “To the German Peeople. ” These words were chosen

by Wallot. While the inscription was intended to be on the main facade of the building before its

dedication in 1894, the words were not added until 1916.

3 Ospedale delgi Innocenti means “Hospital of the Innocents.” This building is regarded as an example of Early Renaissance architecture. 4 The western façade is the main façade as the building is oriented towards the West.5 Tobias Fritz, The Reichstag Fire, (Germany: Grotesche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1963, First American Edition 1964), 25-276 Large, Berlin, 59617 Deutscher Bundestag, “Visit the German Bundestag”, accessed November 11, 2017, https://www.bundestag.de/besuche/architektur/reichstag/architektur/architekten/wallot/246950

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Paul Wallot, The original Reichstag building, Berlin, Germany 1916

The Reichstag was used by the German government until February 27, 1933, when a fire

destroyed the building. Just one month before, Adolf Hitler was sworn in as the Chancellor of

Germany. While the German Court found Marinus van der Lubbe, a communist, guilty of the

arson, some speculate that the National Socialist German Workers’ Party8 were to blame for the

fire, since it was a crucial element of the rise of Hitler’s dictatorship. When the building was set

ablaze, the Nazi Party publicly blamed communists as using the fire to plot against the German

government. Because of this, Hitler was able to convince the German President Paul von

Hindenburg for the imprisonment of communists in order to protect the German people. This

made way for some of the first concentration camps to begin in Germany. Hindenburg also

made decree to suspend civil liberties “for the protection of the people and the State.” Shortly

after this, Hitler was able to pass the Enabling Act, which essentially ended the democracy and

recognized Hitler as a dictator. 9

8 Also known as the Nazi Party. 9 Large, Berlin, 262-264

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Burning of the Reichstag building in Berlin, February 1933

Reconstruction of the Reichstag

After the destruction of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the reunification of East and West

Berlin in 1990, it was decided that the Reichstag needed to be reconstructed as a building to

house the Bundestag, the German parliament. In 1993, Norman Foster won an architectural

design competition and was given the contract to redesign the Reichstag. While the glass dome

actually saved the building from complete destruction during the fire in 1933, the building was

damaged during WWII and was renovated in the 1960s, where more of the original architectural

design was destroyed. 10 During the reconstruction, the inside of the building was completely

removed, including the renovations done in the 1960s. Interestingly though, the graffiti left

behind by soldiers in 1945 was left inside of the building. Foster wanted to keep the graffiti

10 Fritz, The Reichstag Fire, 25-29. A natural chimney was formed when the dome cracked, which kept the flames contained; Berlin.de, “Parliament,” last updated November 9, 2017, https://www.berlin.de/sehenswuerdigkeiten/3560965-3558930-reichstag.html

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preserve the building’s history and to remind the parliament of the mistakes made by the

previous German government. 11

Even though Foster won the design competition, his original design did not end up being

used for the reconstruction. Instead, he had to change it multiple times to appease the

parliamentary committee in charge of the building. According to David Clay Large, Foster was

chosen to reconstruct the contract because his design “seemed most likely to project the openness

and transparency that were the cherished hallmarks of modern German democracy.” In his

original design, Foster wanted to surround the structure with a glass canopy supported by steel

columns. 12 While this promoted the transparency and openness that was needed during this time,

the design was rejected. After more changes to the design plan, the committee and Foster agreed

to create a glass dome that resembled Wallot’s dome, but a more modern version. The glass

dome that Foster created is different from the rest of the building in that he kept the exterior in

the Italian Renaissance style while creating a modern, high-tech dome. The dome, which is

made of glass and steel, sits atop the Reichstag building. The dome was designed in such a way

that it provides the daylight as well as natural ventilation to the Reichstag. In the middle of the

dome, there is an inverted cone of mirrors, which provides light into the parliamentary debating

chambers below. In this way, the dome does not just passively allow light to enter the building.

Instead, it is intentional so that the lighting is more efficient.

Also inside the dome, there is a circular platform that leads to the top, where the public

can view not only the city of Berlin, but also into the parliamentary chambers below the dome.

In this way, the dome exhibits the idea of people above government. On the other side, the

11 Large, Berlin, 614-61512 Large, Berlin, 613

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parliament is able to look up and see the public as well, which means that they are constantly

being reminded of who they are serving. 13

In Foster’s design, he kept the exterior of the Reichstag true to the original Italian

Renaissance style that Wallot had constructed the building in. Many of the attributes from

Wallot’s design were either preserved or included in the reconstruction. Important features such

as the Palladian style pediment above the entrance, the four towers in each corner, the

rectangular windows with the Roman style pediments above, the symmetry, and the engaged

columns were all kept. The ornamentation on the towers and above the pediment, however, are

no longer a part of the building.

Significance of the Reichstag’s Reconstruction

The Reichstag is arguably one of Germany’s most important architectural structures

because it is symbolic of the rebirth of the nation’s capital. The building’s structure is designed

to unite the government and its people, who were once divided. According to the Foster &

Partners website, the “public and the politicians enter the building together. ”14

Norman Foster, The Reconstructed Reichstag, Berlin, Germany

13 Werner Sewing, Architecture: Sculpture, (New York: Prestel Publishing, 2004), 108-10914 Foster + Partners, “Reichstag, New German Parliament,” accessed November 11, 2017, https://www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/reichstag-new-german-parliament/

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The structure also allows for environmental sustainability. With the sustainability

movement becoming increasingly popular, it is important to note that the building has features

that allow for a greater use of natural resources to sustain the building. When designing the

inverted cone placed at the center of the dome, Foster paid careful attention to the solar

movement and how it could optimally be brought into the Reichstag. Furthermore, the cupola

naturally ventilates the parliament chamber below, which means that less energy is used to

operate the airflow in the building. The building’s electricity is also 80% powered by bio-fuel.

The bio-fuel used comes from a rapeseed vegetable oil that is locally produced. Because the bio-

fuel is locally produced, there are positive implications for the local agricultural economy as

well. Overall, the building uses 57% less energy than existing buildings. 15

Norman Foster, The Inside of the Reichstag Dome, Berlin, Germany

Other works by Norman Foster

15 Foster + Partners, “Reichstag, New German Parliament,” Sustainability, accessed November 13, 2017

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It is typical of Norman Foster’s architecture to be both high-tech and symbolic. Another

one of Foster’s works is the Swiss Re London Headquarters. The building is shaped like a bullet

and is one of the tallest buildings in the London Skyline. The aerodynamic form of the building

encourages wind to flow around the building, as opposed to hitting the building and bouncing off

of it. The building’s shape helps to reduce the pressure from wind on the structure, as well as

works as a natural ventilation system, which is similar to the Reichstag’s dome.16 Another one of

Foster’s popular works is located in New York. The Hearst Tower is made out of steel and glass.

The structure has a diagrid façade, which allowed for the use of 20% less steel than conventional

buildings. Furthermore, the building’s structure was made with sustainability in mind. The

building was made with 85% recycled steel and uses 25% less energy than typical buildings.

Similar to the Swiss Re London Headquarters and the Reichstag, Foster designed the building to

use natural air for the ventilation of the building.17

By examining Foster’s other works, one can see his commitment to creating high-tech,

sustainable architecture that has both purpose and beauty. In 1999, Foster was awarded the

Pritzker Architecture Prize. This is an honor as the Pritzker Prize is architecture’s equivalent of

the Nobel Prize. Foster’s architecture, including the reconstruction of the Reichstag, contributes

to the high-tech movement, as well as the increasing need for sustainability.

16 Sewing, Architecture: Scupture, 128-12917 Foster + Partners, “Hearst Tower,” accessed November 14, 2017

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Bibliography

Berlin.de: The Official Capital Portal. 2017. Parliament. November 9. Accessed November 11,

2017. https://www.berlin.de/sehenswuerdigkeiten/3560965-3558930-reichstag.html.

Deutscher Bundestag. 2017. Visit the German Bundestag. Accessed November 11, 2017.

https://www.bundestag.de/besuche/architektur/reichstag/architektur/architekten/wallot/

246950.

Evans, Richard. 2003. "The Coming of the Third Reich." In Creating the Third Reich, by

Richard Evans, 333-337. New York: Penguin Press.

Foster + Partners. 2017. Reichstag, New German Parliament. Accessed November 11, 2017.

https://www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/reichstag-new-german-parliament/.

Fritz, Tobias. 1963. The Reichstag Fire. First American Edition 1964. Translated by Martin

Secker and Warburg Limited. Germany: Grotesche Verlasbuchhandlung.

Kaufman, Jonathan. 1990. "Reclaiming Reichstag." Boston Globe.

Large, David Clay. 2000. Berlin. New York: Basic Books.

Sewing, Warner. 2004. Architecture: Sculpture. New York: Prestel Publishing.

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