Berlin (1-2 April 2006) Part 6 and Finale - The Reichstag and Brandenburger Tor
The Reichstag is the seat of the German parliament, although the political entity has left its imperial roots and is now named the Bundestag (translation: Federal Diet). Opened in 1894, it was dedicated to the people of Germany ("DEM DEUTSCHEN VOLKE" above the main entrance), although it did not sit well with Kaiser Wilhelm II. When the Kaiser abdicated in 1918, the building continued to be the seat of parliament under the Weimar Republic, which lasted till 1933 when a certain Mr A. Hitler became the chancellor.
Hitler hated the Reichstag as it was a symbol of democracy. As such, he wanted to demolish the building. The Reichstag was burnt on 27 February 1933, an incident which no one knows whether it was the communists or the Nazis who were responsible. This allowed Hitler to convince President Hindenburg to pass the Reichstag Fire Decree, which took away most civil liberties of the citizens. This led to the Enabling Act, which followed in March of the same year, allowing the Nazi party to obtain dictatorial powers. The Reichstag building was never again used as the seat of parliament till 1999, with the opening of the reconstructed Reichstag building. A huge glass cupola has been built over the former one, and admission is free, but you have to queue up.
The front of the building, you can see the "DEM DEUTSCHEN VOLKE" inscription
That's me... again...
The Reichstag from the side, you can see the glass cupola on top of the building
The building upfront
The Reichstag at night
The Victory Column from the top of the Reichstag
The glass cupola
This is inside the cupola (sorry for blocking the view :p)
Top of the cupola
The River Spree
View of the queue from the elevator down
Shouldn't I glad to be one of the first in queue?
My parting shot
Just across the road from the Reichstag is another famous structure, the Brandenburger Tor, more commonly known as Brandenburg Gate. It is located at Pariser Platz and was commissioned by Friedrich Wilhelm II in 1788. The gate consists of 12 Greek Doric columns, with a statue of Quadriga, the goddess of peace, driving a four-horse chariot. After the Second World War, the Gate ended up on the Soviet side of the border and thus was only a few metres from the Berlin Wall. The Reichstag was on the British side. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Brandenburger Tor became a symbol of the reunification of Germany and is featured on the tail side of the German coins.
Brandenburger Tor from Pariser Platz
A clear shot of the gate...
Before I block it...
Much better, right?
The Tor from the other side
The Tor at night
I'm so proud of this shot
Another of my achievements
Early in the morning, without the hordes of tourists (excluding myself of course)
From on top of the Reichstag
Yay!!!! I have finally finished posting on Berlin. Sorry it took so long, but I got to work, you know?
OK, so this concludes Berlin. Hope you all enjoyed it, and check back for more.
Photobucket: Berlin
Hitler hated the Reichstag as it was a symbol of democracy. As such, he wanted to demolish the building. The Reichstag was burnt on 27 February 1933, an incident which no one knows whether it was the communists or the Nazis who were responsible. This allowed Hitler to convince President Hindenburg to pass the Reichstag Fire Decree, which took away most civil liberties of the citizens. This led to the Enabling Act, which followed in March of the same year, allowing the Nazi party to obtain dictatorial powers. The Reichstag building was never again used as the seat of parliament till 1999, with the opening of the reconstructed Reichstag building. A huge glass cupola has been built over the former one, and admission is free, but you have to queue up.
The front of the building, you can see the "DEM DEUTSCHEN VOLKE" inscription
That's me... again...
The Reichstag from the side, you can see the glass cupola on top of the building
The building upfront
The Reichstag at night
The Victory Column from the top of the Reichstag
The glass cupola
This is inside the cupola (sorry for blocking the view :p)
Top of the cupola
The River Spree
View of the queue from the elevator down
Shouldn't I glad to be one of the first in queue?
My parting shot
Just across the road from the Reichstag is another famous structure, the Brandenburger Tor, more commonly known as Brandenburg Gate. It is located at Pariser Platz and was commissioned by Friedrich Wilhelm II in 1788. The gate consists of 12 Greek Doric columns, with a statue of Quadriga, the goddess of peace, driving a four-horse chariot. After the Second World War, the Gate ended up on the Soviet side of the border and thus was only a few metres from the Berlin Wall. The Reichstag was on the British side. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Brandenburger Tor became a symbol of the reunification of Germany and is featured on the tail side of the German coins.
Brandenburger Tor from Pariser Platz
A clear shot of the gate...
Before I block it...
Much better, right?
The Tor from the other side
The Tor at night
I'm so proud of this shot
Another of my achievements
Early in the morning, without the hordes of tourists (excluding myself of course)
From on top of the Reichstag
Yay!!!! I have finally finished posting on Berlin. Sorry it took so long, but I got to work, you know?
OK, so this concludes Berlin. Hope you all enjoyed it, and check back for more.
Photobucket: Berlin
posted by Chiu Weng | 11:38 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home