A decade after the fall of Eastern Block, there was a great symbolic in moving the German parliament building from Bonn to Berlin, that is again to become the Germany's seat of power. It represents another step in the German Governments' return to a united Berlin.

Certain amount of controversy surrounded this project and in many ways its reconstruction represented radical move. The Reichstag has strong associations with the country's tumultuous modern history and various issues needed to be addressed in its reconstruction.

Some felt the perceived ties between the building and the rise of Hitler and the Third Reich will make it an inappropriate venue for democratic debate. But supporters of the return to the Reichstag argued of the building's original place as the cradle of German democracy during the Bismarck era of Prussian rule. On the other hand, one group of MPs has also expressed concern at the continued use of the name "Reichstag" - "reich" means empire in German - and demanded it should be replaced by the more neutral name since Germany is no longer an empire.

Originally built in 1894, the Reichstag has undergone a four-year renovation led by British architect Sir Norman Foster, as a result of competition held in 1993.

Topped by a completely rebuilt glass dome, lined with a viewing gallery for the public to look down upon the workings of their representatives, the new building is meant to symbolize the openness and transparency of 50 years of federal democracy.

:: contemporary precedents

today Reichstag stands as a beacon of the city and German democracy

from: www.fosterandpartners.com

The building's transformation is rooted in four issues: the Bundestag's significance as a democratic forum, a commitment to public accessibility, sensitivity to history, and a rigorous environmental agenda.

As found, the Reichstag was mutilated by war and insensitive rebuilding; surviving nineteenth-century interiors were concealed beneath a plasterboard lining. Peeling away these layers revealed striking imprints of the past, including graffiti left by Soviet soldiers. These scars are preserved and historical layers articulated; the Reichstag has become a 'living museum' of German history.

addressing project on different scales

In some respects reconstruction of the building takes on some existing features and at other instances it completely departs from it. Main change was done trying to open up the heavy masonry shell and bring public and politicians in a closer interface. Public and politicians enter together through the reopened formal entrance. The public realm continues on the roof in the terrace restaurant and the cupola - a new Berlin landmark - where helical ramps lead to an observation platform, allowing the people to ascend above the heads of their political representatives.