Completed in 1894 to the designs of Paul Wallot, the Reichstag housed the parliaments of the German Empire and the Weimar Republic. A fire in 1933 became a turning point in the Nazis' seizure of power, and the building was badly damaged again in the Battle of Berlin in 1945.
After German reunification, Norman Foster rebuilt it between 1995 and 1999 as the home of the Bundestag, Germany's parliament. Its crown is a new glass dome open to the public. Visitors climb inside it for a 360-degree view over Berlin, and look down into the debating chamber below, while daylight from above pours down into the chamber.
The idea of a walk-in dome was proposed by the artist and architect Gottfried Böhm. Before the rebuilding began, the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped the entire building in fabric.
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