Reichstag Research Paper

History of the Reichstag
The building that I am going to write about in this essay is the Reichstag building. This building is situated in Berlin, Germany. The Reichstag was built in 1894 by the architect Paul Wallot. The Reichstag housed the German parliament up until it was severely damaged by the fire in 1933; in 1945 it was almost destroyed by the bombing in WW2 and restored in the 1960s. I chose to write about this building because I am captivated by its turbulent history and although it has continually undergone changes and major disruption, it has always been a symbol of democracy.
Before the Reichstag was built the German parliament had to assemble in several different places. So in 1872 an architectural contest was held to design
I arrived there in the afternoon and when I saw the elevation of the Reichstag, my eyes were drawn directly to the great glass dome, which dominates Berlin’s skyline and is a truly modern example of innovation in design. As I continued to look down the building my vision was met by the nineteenth century stone structure and its solid classical orders. When I looked at the Western elevation the Reichstag still holds a huge amount of its original classical design which was configured by Paul Wallot. Wallot’s design was mainly decided by aesthetic achievements such as harmonious proportion and also by creating an impression of magnificence. The central portico of the facade of the Reichstag is of a traditional design. The portico is held up and supported by the six Corinthian columns, which stick out just a little bit to make its colonnade. Like the palace of Versailles and the Rashtrapati Bhawan symmetry is the key component to the design of the Reichstag. The portico is joined to the Corinthian columns by the six Corinthian pilasters, the columns extend over two storeys and meet at the towers where they join. The towers protrude against the Corinthian columns and provide a balance with the central portico. I feel that Paul Wallot’s has used the Corinthian order very well because the order surrounds the Reichstag with elegance.
The cupola was originally dedicated to the Wilhelm and the four towers at the corners of the Reichstag represented the four kingdoms of Germany. After World War Two the Reichstag was essentially a ruin and there was no real use for the building since the capital of West Germany was established in Bonn. After some debate as to whether the building should be demolished or restored, it was decided that the Reichstag should be restored. However the cupola of the building was severely damaged by the bombing and had to be demolished. So another contest was held and Paul Baumgarten was declared the winner to reconstruct the Reichstag. Paul Baumgarten did not fully restore the building but made it safe from harmful elements and partially refurbished it but he took the dome out of the design. The Reichstag building is made up of four floors, the ground floor is the plenary chamber, the second floor is the presidium offices, the third floor is the parliamentary party floor and the fourth floor is the roof which at present also holds the dome designed by Lord Norman Foster but in the past it used to hold the dome designed by Paul Wallot. Through the turbulent years of the Reichstag the plenary chamber has gradually expanded and made more spatial firstly by Paul Baumgarten then by Lord Norman Foster. Foster