Reichstag Dome

The Reichstag building in Berlin, which famously burned down in 1933 and helped Hitler come to power, has a fairly new dome that is artistically elegant and scientifically useful.

Dome on the Reichstag building in Berlin, designed by Gottfried Böhm and Norman Foster.

The interior is open to visitors and is free, but you must obtain a timed pass (and you must show ID - which for me meant my passport [luckily I had it with me] - and go through and airport-style security check). There is a spiral staircase going up the inside of the dome, which allows for spectacular 360-degree views of the city. I also used an audio guide, which either was timed perfectly to my walking speed, or had some kind of location sensor that knew which side of the dome you were on so that it could point out the proper city landmarks.

The dome is directly over the Bundestag chamber, and is connected to it. That is, it is a natural heating and cooling system for the chamber, because hot air can flow up the central column and escape through the top of the dome.

Inside center of the dome. There are historical exhibits around the central "funnel," and a glass partition for visitors to peer down into the Bundestag chamber. You can also see the sun shade to the left, which rotates with the sun to keep the interior of the dome cool. Also, the outside of the central funnel, through which the air from the chamber rises, is covered in mirrors.

View of the funnel and ceiling of the Bundestag chamber from the spiral walkway. Reflections from the sky make it difficult to see down into the chamber.

View of the sun shade from the spiral walkway.

It takes about 45 minutes to read this history on the base of the dome, walk up the spiral walkway, and walk down a different spiral walkway. But it is an impressive piece of architecture. You can also walk around on the roof of the building outside the dome, from which you can also see the city of Berlin, include the River Spree (which ultimately flows into the Elbe), the Tiergarten (see here), and the Victory Column. This column used to be right outside the front of the Reichstag, and has a very interesting history, which I did not learn about when I was in Berlin, as I did not visit it, but only from Wikipedia after the fact.