Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Marinus van der Lubbe, was eventually convicted and guillotined for the crime. Others be-
lieved that Hitler himself planned the fire, using it as a handy excuse to frame the commun-
istsandgrabpower.EventhoughVanderLubbewasposthumouslypardonedbytheGerman
government in 2008, most modern historians concede that he most likely was indeed guilty,
and had acted alone—the Nazis were just incredibly lucky to have his deed advance their
cause.
The Reichstag was hardly used from 1933 to 1999. Despite the fact that the building had
lost its symbolic value, Stalin ordered his troops to take the Reichstag from the Nazis by
May 1, 1945 (the date of the workers' May Day parade in Moscow). More than 1,500 Nazi
soldiers made their last stand here—extending World War II by two days. On April 30, after
fierce fighting on this rooftop, the Reichstag fell to the Red Army.
Forthebuilding's101stbirthdayin1995,theBulgarian-AmericanartistChristowrapped
itinsilverygoldcloth.Itwasthenwrappedagain—inscaffolding—andrebuiltbyBritishar-
chitect Lord Norman Foster into the new parliamentary home of the Bundestag (Germany's
lower house, similar to the US House of Representatives). To many Germans, the proud re-
surrectionoftheReichstagsymbolizestheendofaterriblechapterintheircountry'shistory.
The glasscupola rises155feetabovetheground.Itstwoslopedrampsspiral 755feet to
thetopforagrandview.Insidethedome,aconeof360mirrorsreflectsnaturallightintothe
legislativechamberbelow.Litfrominsideatnight,thisgivesBerlinamemorablenightlight.
The environmentally friendly cone—with an opening at the top—also helps with air circu-
lation, drawing stale air out of the legislative chamber (no joke) and pulling in cool air from
below.
Because of a terrorist plot discovered and thwarted in 2010, the building has tight secur-
ity; getting in now requires a reservation.
Cost and Hours: Free but reservations highly recommended—see below, daily
8:00-24:00, last entry at 23:00, metal detectors, no big luggage allowed, Platz der Republik
1; S- or U-Bahn: Friedrichstrasse, Brandenburger Tor, or Bundestag; tel. 030/2273-2152,
www.bundestag.de .
Reservations: To visit the dome, it's best to make a reservation (free); spots book up
several days in advance. If you're in Berlin without a reservation, try dropping by the visit-
ors center (on the Tiergarten side of Scheidemannstrasse, across from Platz der Republik) to
ask if they have open slots (whole party must be present, ID required, slots available no less
than 2 hours and no more than 2 days out).
Youronlywaytoguaranteeaspotistoreservefartherahead online. Thewebsiteisuser-
friendly, if (not surprisingly) a bit bureaucratic. Go to www.bundestag.de , click “English” at
the top of the screen, and—under the “Visit the Bundestag” menu—select “Online registra-
tion.”Onthispage,select“Visitthedome.”Fillinthenumberofpeopleinyourparty,ignore
the“Comments”field,andclick“Next.”Afterenteringthescrambledcaptchacode,youcan
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