Visit to the Reichstag

Wednesday September 10

After another day of class and a visit to the Mensa we went on a private tour of the Reichstag.

The Reichstag, like everything else in this city, is full of history yet plagued by its past. Throughout the last 100 years various parties have both taken over and destroyed this building in an effort to maintain power.

In February 1933, the Reichstag was gutted by a fire that was allegedly started by an impoverished Dutch communist. His name has since been cleared as evidence has proven that the fire was most likely started by Hitler and his comrades using the communist as a scapegoat.

When the Soviets took over Berlin in 1945 they stormed the building (fighting the Nazi's for quite some time) and drew graffiti all over the walls. That graffiti is still there today. When recreating the building for the current Parliament, the politicians decided to erase only the graffiti that was anti-German and keep the rest as a way of remembering both the building and Germany's past.
I'm sorry for the short history lesson but I think you have to know what happened in the Reichstag before you can really understand how cool of an experience it was. While in power, Hitler sat in this building and called for the extermination of all European Jews. And about 70 years later here I am standing in that same room.
The outer fascade of the building has (shockingly) remained in tact throughout Germany's turbulent past which is what makes this building so interesting to see. From the outside you think you are looking at this 100s of years old building but when you walk inside you see this unbelievably modern architecture. It's mind-blowing.

After our tour we went and did the "touristy" section of the building and went up into the glass dome. You get an incredible view of Berlin and of the Parliament down below!And then I went home to prepare for my 40 minute presentation on the differences between the German and American government...and now you know why I'm behind on posting.