Reichstag Building

The Reichstag: Book Your Dome Visit Before Anything Else

The Reichstag building in Berlin is the seat of the German Bundestag and, via Norman Foster’s 1999 glass dome, one of the city’s most visited attractions. Access to the dome and rooftop terrace is free but requires online registration through the Bundestag website (bundestag.de/en/visitthebundestag). The site opens reservations well in advance. In practice, this means booking several weeks ahead during peak season if you want a specific time slot. This is the single most important logistical fact about visiting the Reichstag. Everything else is secondary.

The Dome

The dome is a 23-metre glass sphere with a mirrored cone at its centre that channels natural light into the plenary chamber below. A double-spiral ramp winds to the top. From the rooftop terrace at the base of the dome, the view takes in the Brandenburg Gate immediately to the south, the Tiergarten to the west, the Spree and government district to the north, and the TV Tower (Fernsehturm) 4 km to the east. It is one of the better 360-degree views in Berlin.

Free audio guides are available in multiple languages and explain the history visible from each point of the ramp. The guide is well-produced and worth using rather than skipping.

The History of the Building

The Reichstag was completed in 1894 and has had an eventful existence. It burned in February 1933 under circumstances that remain disputed; the fire gave Hitler pretext for emergency powers. It was severely damaged in the Battle of Berlin in 1945, abandoned in divided Berlin (the functioning West German parliament moved to Bonn), and served largely ceremonially until reunification.

The Soviet soldiers who captured it in 1945 left graffiti on the interior walls, some of which Foster preserved behind glass during the renovation. Looking at pencilled Russian names and dates from May 1945 in a functioning 21st-century democracy is one of the more affecting things you can do in the building.

The restoration itself was complex. Foster’s brief required transparency, both literally (glass dome, public access) and symbolically. The original stone exterior remained with its battle scars and the graffiti; the interior became contemporary and open. The combination works better than it should.

Getting There

The building sits on the Platz der Republik, a short walk from the Brandenburg Gate (5 minutes on foot) or a 10-minute walk from Unter den Linden. The nearest S-Bahn station is Hauptbahnhof (10 minutes on foot). Taxis are straightforward.

Security procedures at the entrance are thorough and add time. Arrive 10-15 minutes before your slot. Bag searches and metal detectors are in place.

Around the Government District

The entire area around the Reichstag is a considered piece of urban design from the 1990s and 2000s. The Federal Chancellery (Bundeskanzleramt) to the northwest, designed by Axel Schultes and Charlotte Frank, is enormous and vaguely resembles an aircraft carrier. The Paul-Lobe-Haus and Marie-Elisabeth-Luders-Haus, which flank the Spree on either side, are linked by a glass bridge. Walking through this district on the river bank gives a sense of how deliberately Berlin constructed a physical representation of the new republic.

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Holocaust-Mahnmal) is 10 minutes south near the Brandenburg Gate. The 2,711 concrete stelae, designed by Peter Eisenman, are disorienting in a productive way when you walk into them from the edges where the blocks are low and find yourself 4 metres below grade at the centre. It is open 24 hours, admission-free, and should not be skipped.

Eating Near the Bundestag

The building contains Restaurant Kafer, which is an upscale lunch and dinner option with panoramic views. It requires a separate reservation from the dome visit and costs accordingly. For something more affordable, the cafe in the Paul-Lobe-Haus is open to visitors and serves basic meals at civil-servant prices. Alternatively, walk 15 minutes to the Mitte district where the options expand considerably.

The Berlin Welcome Card covers public transport and offers small discounts at a handful of attractions. For a short visit focused on the Reichstag and nearby monuments, it is marginally worthwhile.