The Reichstag building -imperial parliament- today Bundestag – federal parliament – is one of the iconic buildings in Berlin. The former imperial parliament was erected in the 1980s to house the representative chamber of the newly created Germany, which only existed after the coronation of William, King of Prussia as German Kaiser in 1871.
The building was in operation only until February 27, 1933, when it was burned down. The structure remained standing and was one of the last places where troops of the Waffen-SS They resisted Soviet troops in April 1945 during the Battle of Berlin.
After the war it became a museum, as it was located in the capitalist part of Berlin. After the decision to return the capital to Berlin in 1991, reconstruction work began. In 1994 the first meeting took place in the new parliamentary chamber. In 1996 the building with the dome designed by Norman Foster was completed.
How to get to the Reichstag
The Reichstag is located in the government center of Berlin, very close to the Brandenburg Gate and the Tiergarten. To get there you can take the S-bahn lines S1, 2 or 26 to the Brandemburger Tor stop. or lines S3, 5, 7 or 9 to Hauptbahnhof.
Visit the dome of the Reichstag
The German parliament can be visited for free. For security it is mandatory to make an appointment to enter. You can make an appointment to enter the Reichstag HERE
The visit allows you to climb the Norman Foster dome , where with an audio guide we can learn about the history of the building and the city of Berlin. The visit also allows access to the terrace of the building, from where you can enjoy a panoramic view of the city.
If we want to visit the Reichstag but we don't have an appointment for it, it is possible to book directly in front of the building at some ticket offices for it. This is possible but risky, since the vast majority of tickets are given online. The lockers are only for the gaps that remain in the schedule. In low season it is possible to find a place at the ticket office. In high season it is practically impossible.
The Recihstag allows visits at the following times:
- Every day – 8:00 – 24:00
The ticket offices to ask for an appointment have the following schedule:
- Every day – 8:00 – 18:00