10 Facts about the Reichstag

Completed in 1998, the transformation of the Reichstag is rooted in four related issues: the Bundestag’s significance as a democratic forum, an understanding of history, a commitment to accessibility and a vigorous environmental agenda.

The retrofit project takes cues from the original fabric; the layers of history were peeled away to reveal striking imprints of the past – stonemason’s marks and Russian graffiti − scars that have been preserved as a ‘living museum’. But in other respects it is a radical departure; within its heavy shell it is light and transparent, its activities on view.

Learn more about the project, from the building being wrapped in fabric by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, to the design of the glass cupola that offers a 360-degree panoramic view of Berlin.

1. The Reichstag welcomes a total of 3 million visitors annually, making it the most visited parliament building in the world. 

2. The building’s radical transformation included the removal of 45,000 tonnes of material from the chamber’s central area – roughly the weight of 30 blue whales

3. Before reconstruction began, the Reichstag was famously wrapped in fabric by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude in 1995, transforming it into a temporary public artwork.

4. The building’s historical scars, such as stonemason’s marks and Russian graffiti, have been preserved as a ‘living museum’. 

5. The public enters the building alongside politicians, with the rooftop cupola and terrace restaurant extending the public realm and symbolically elevating visitors above the parliamentary chamber.

6. Standing at 24 metres high and weighing 1,200 tonnes, the glass cupola offers a 360-degree panoramic view of Berlin.

7. The Reichstag’s gross area of 61,166 m² is nearly the size of 8 football pitches.

8. The Reichstag uses renewable bio-fuel in a cogenerator, rather than fossil fuels to produce electricity. This has led to a 94% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

9. The cupola also drives the building’s natural lighting and ventilation strategies, with a ‘light sculptor’ at its core that reflects horizon light down into the chamber, while a sun-shield tracks the path of the sun to block solar gain and glare. 

10. Upon opening, the building’s energy requirements were modest enough to allow it to produce more energy than it consumed, therefore performing as a mini power station in the government quarter.