Facts - The Bundestag at a glance - Deutscher Bundestag

9 September 1948
More than 350,000 Berliners gathered for
a demonstration in front of the Reichstag
Building during the Soviet blockade
of Berlin. Against the backdrop of the
severely damaged edifice, Ernst Reuter,
Mayor of Berlin, delivered his famous
appeal: “Peoples of the world … look at
this city”.
13 August 1961
The Berlin Wall was built, part of it running
right next to the Reichstag Building.
Nevertheless, the restoration of the
building was completed; from 1973, it
served as the home of an exhibition on
German history and provided meeting
rooms for parliamentary groups and
other bodies.
4 October 1990
The first Bundestag elected by the whole
of Germany held its inaugural sitting in
the Reichstag Building.
20 June 1991
The Bundestag in Bonn decided by 338
votes to 320 to return the seat of the German
Parliament to the Reichstag Building
in Berlin. Following an architectural
competition, Sir Norman Foster was
commissioned to reconstruct the building.
May 1995
After some lively debates, the Council
of Elders opted for the construction of
a modern glass dome with integrated
walkways.
24 June to 6 July 1995
Artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude
wrapped the Reichstag Building in
fabric, turning it into an art work that attracted
some five million visitors. At the
end of this art event, the reconstruction
of the building began.
19 April 1999
The Bundestag took over the reconstructed
Reichstag Building in Berlin.
Sir Norman Foster presented Wolfgang
Thierse, President of the Bundestag,
with a symbolic key to the building.
In the summer of 1999, the Bundestag
moved from Bonn to Berlin. The first
sitting week of the Bundestag in Berlin
began on 6 September.
43
Reflections on parliamentary
history: Jenny Holzer’s Installation
for the Reichstag Building, which
displays the text of speeches delivered
by Reichstag and Bundestag
Members.