History of the Holocaust & Jewish Culture: The Reichstag

Due to our flight delays in Amsterdam, we were half a day behind in our schedule and we compensated for it yesterday. We toured Berlin from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm, but we were able to get back on track.

The first place we visited was Der Reichstag, Germany's legislative building. Once we were through security and inside the main lobby, I immediately was impressed with the modern decor of the building. Unlike D.C., with white stone marble and ornately carved columns, the interior was cream colored, with the German flag colors on a modern art canvas. The building conveyed a sense of realism, professionalism, and modernism - qualities that certainly are attributed to Germany's social-democratic government.

We took an elevator up five stories to the rooftop, where there is a glass dome, called a Kuppel. Inside the glass dome was a spiral walkway that went up to the top of the dome, giving us great panoramic views of Berlin. Hanging from the center of the dome was a stalactite of mirrors that pointed down, giving us different views of the congressional hall directly below the dome. The concept behind this unique feature is that the average citizen can watch the legislature in person without being in the chamber itself. In Germany, the legislature holds the "common man" as their source of power and principle.

As an aspiring political science major, it was very fascinating for me to visit the Reichstag and observe the ideas and principles of another government. It also helped give our group an introduction to how the German government has restructured themselves since the fall of the Berlin Wall.