Seen from above or from street level, the dome of Berlin’s Reichstag building can appear either an odd accretion to an old building, or nothing very special.
But from the inside, that all changes. The dome designed by British star architect Norman Foster isn’t just a round cover over a central space in the building, it’s a viewing point both for Berlin surrounding it, and for documents and exhibits within that tell the story of the German parliament and its building, and their checkered history.
Inside the dome, a long gently-rising ramp circles the perimeter, offering views all the way up and a resting and viewing point near the top.
Looking down from above, you can see the exhibits arranged around the central shaft.
The mirrored cone directs sunlight down through the dome into the main debating hall of the parliament; the windows that the exhibits circle give visitors a view directly into it from above, supposedly symbolizing that the people are above the government and that the government’s actions are transparent.
