How was the Reichstag shaped?
- Originally the Reichstag was shaped as an iconic building for the role of the all of the parlimentary buildings at the time to be created under one roof.
- At the time of the first architectural competition in 1882 Wilhelm I had ideas of grnadeur and intended for all the surrounding buildings to be designed and built by the greatest architects at the time, however the budget could not stretch to these ideas.
- In 1933 the Reichstag was set on fire in mysterious circumstances which led the Nazi's to take legal steps into taking control of the nation.
- Building suffered a great deal of damage during the bombing of Berlin and in 1961 Paul Baumgarten won an architectural competition to reconstruct the building.
- After the German reunification it was decided that the Reichstag would act as a symbol of this historic event and the building's transformation was rooted into four issues:
- The parliament's significance as a democratic forum
- A commitment to public accesibility
- A sensitivity to history
- A rigorous environmental agenda
The Shaping of the Reichstag and it's users