Reichstag Building
Thank you sirs for the right to vote
Bet you didn’t know I had a voice in my throat
Now let’s see should I vote for “A” or “B”
As Germany goes to the polls, we went to the Reichstag Building, the place where it all happens. You can go into the dome for free with prior registration – the link to do this is at the bottom of this post. You choose a day and time and give your personal details. In true German style it was very straightforward and well-planned. Security is similar at the airport, but here it is done with a friendly smile.
Then before you know it you have a free head-set on and you are walking around and around in circles on your way to the top of the dome. We were lucky with the weather, sunny and warm, so we could see for miles. Including, (with the election looming,) the mass demonstrations and TV studios being set up, as well as parked up satellite trucks on the streets, ready for the day ahead.
The tour is great, it works as if by magic (or a location device) as your headset changes what it is talking about depending on what you are looking out at. You get an amazing view of the city from above. Right at the top they have left a circle open to the elements. This is environmentally friendly, in order to get rid of the stale air and to let in rain water to make energy with. Did I mention it was a British architect who designed it? Those clever Brits… haha!
There is also an exhibition explaining the history at the bottom, including photos of the two weeks during the summer of 1995 when two artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped the building in thick silver-coloured woven polypropylene fabric with an aluminium surface. Apparently five million people went to view it.
I will leave you with this tasty morsel of information as the German people go to the polling stations: the reason there are so many windows is because the place is meant to symbolise how transparent the dome is as well as the politics in the country. Germans are proud that the public can go into parliament sessions, another thing you need to book ahead and I am sure we will be doing this soon.
I would just recommend going to see it: http://www.bundestag.de/htdocs_e/visits/kupp.html