Reichstag building - online puzzles

Online puzzle Reichstag building

Reichstag building

The Reichstag (German: Reichstag, pronounced [ˈʁaɪçsˌtaːk] (listen); officially: Plenarbereich Reichstagsgebäude [ˈʁaɪçstaːksɡəˌbɔʏdə] (listen); English: Parliament) is a historic government building on Platz der Republik in Berlin that has been the seat of the German Bundestag since 1999. Since 1994, the Federal Convention has also met here to elect the Federal President.

The Neo-Renaissance building was built between 1884 and 1894 in the Tiergarten district on the left bank of the River Spree to plans by the architect Paul Wallot. It housed both the Reichstag of the German Empire and the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic. Initially, the Reich's Federal Council also met there. It was also initially used by the Reichstag of Nazi Germany but the severe damage in the Reichstag fire of 1933 prevented its further use and the Reichstag moved to the nearby Kroll Opera House. The building took further damage during the Second World War and its symbolism made it an important target for the Red Army during the Battle of Berlin.

After the war, the building was modernised and restored in the 1960s and used for exhibitions and special events, as its location in West Berlin prevented its use as a parliament building by either of the two Germanies. From 1995 to 1999, the Reichstag was fundamentally redesigned by Norman Foster for its permanent use as a parliament building in the now reunified Germany, which was decided in 1991. The keys were handed over to the President of the Bundestag, Wolfgang Thierse, on 19 April 1999. The Bundestag has been meeting there ever since. A landmark of the city is the walk-in glass dome above the plenary chamber, designed by Gottfried Böhm.