The Reichstag building in Berlin was constructed to house the Reichstag, the original parliament of the German Empire. It was opened in 1894 and housed the Reichstag until 1933.
On 9 June 1884, the foundation stone was laid by Wilhelm I. and construction was completed in 1894. The Reichstag was then home to the German parliament until 1933.
After Adolf Hitler had been appointed Reichskanzler on 30 January 1933, the building was set on fire on 27 February 1933, under circumstances still not entirely clear. This proved to be a valuable excuse for the Nazis to suspend most human rights provided for by the 1919 constitution in the Reichstag Fire Decree. At then of World War II, the building, having never been fully repaired since the fire, was further damaged by air raids. During the Battle of Berlin in 1945, it became one of the central targets for the Red Army. During the cold war, the Reichstag remained a ruin in West Berlin.
After reunification it was decided to move the German parliament back to its original place. Reconstruction led by internationally renowned architect Norman Foster was finished in 1999.
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