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Berlin Wall 20 years later
Berlin, Germany
October 31, 2009
The Reichstag, the current seat of the German Parliament, is one of Berlin's most historical landmarks. It is close to the Brandenburger Tor and before the unification, it was right next to the wall. .The building was constructed between 1884 and 1894. In 1933 fire broke out in the building, destroying much of the Reichstag. The Communists were blamed. It gave a boost to Hitler's Party, the NSDAP, who came to power.
The building was damaged even more at the end of the war, when the Soviets entered Berlin. The central dome and most of the ornamentation were removed during the reconstruction after the war.
After the wall fell and then unification the decision was made to move the Bundestag from Bonn back to Berlin. This decision resulted in another reconstruction which was completed in 1999.
A glass dome was added over the plenary hall and has become one of the city's most recognized landmarks. Since April 1999, the Reichstag is once again the seat of the Bundestag. Today visitors can walk to the top of the dome.
