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Reichstag is one of Berlin鈥檚 most enduring symbols. Its stone walls have borne witness to the tides of history, mirroring Germany鈥檚 tumultuous political evolution: from imperial unification, through dictatorship and division, to a modern democratic republic.

Once referring to the legislative body of the German Empire, today, the word 鈥淩eichstag鈥� more commonly denotes the iconic building housing the country's parliament, Bundestag.

Following the unification of Germany in 1871, plans were laid to construct a grand hall for the newly formed state (鈥淪econd Reich鈥�). Completed in 1894, the Neo-Baroque structure was intended to reflect the strength and unity of the empire. In 1916, amidst a world at war and against the wishes of Emperor Wilhelm II, the inscription鈥�"To the German People"鈥攚as carved into the frieze above the entrance. Just two years later, with the empire dissolved, it was within these very walls that the German Republic was proclaimed.

In 1933, a fire engulfed the Reichstag鈥攁 blaze which the Nazi regime would exploit to issue the infamous decree, suspending civil liberties and consolidating authoritarian power. Thereafter, the building was no longer used for parliamentary functions during the Nazi era and instead served various other roles throughout the war.

The Second World War left the Reichstag in ruins. During the Cold War, the fractured remains of the building stood on the western side of a divided Berlin. Though no longer a seat of government, it occasionally hosted exhibitions, ceremonies, and even concerts during the 1980s.

Then, on the historic night of October 3rd, 1990, the Reichstag reclaimed its national significance. Within its restored chamber, the ceremony marking the official reunification of Germany was held鈥攁ttended by Chancellor Helmut Kohl and numerous statesmen.

In the mid-1990s, the British architect Sir Norman Foster was commissioned to redesign the building. His intervention preserved historical scars鈥攊ncluding Soviet graffiti etched in 1945鈥攚hile introducing a strikingly modern glass dome. Completed in 1999, the dome serves as a powerful architectural metaphor for democratic transparency. Open to the public, it allows visitors to peer down into the debating chamber below, while its 360-degree panorama reveals the vast expanse of the capital. A sun-tracking shield ensures natural light floods the space without overwhelming glare.

Tip:
Plan your visit in advance, as security measures require booking and a valid ID for entry.
For those wishing to skip the queue, reserving a table at the K盲fer DACHGARTEN restaurant provides expedited access.
Dress warmly鈥攚hile the dome offers breathtaking views, its open windows invite Berlin鈥檚 brisk winds.

Officially named The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, this solemn expanse of concrete, situated near Berlin鈥檚 Brandenburg Gate, stands as a stark and enduring tribute to the millions of Jewish lives extinguished under the Nazi regime between the years 1933 and 1945.

Unveiled in 2005, the memorial was conceived by American architect Peter Eisenman. It spans nearly 19,000 square meters and consists of more than 2,700 concrete stelae鈥攅ach of varying height and dimension鈥攁rranged in a strict grid across a subtly sloping field. The result is a landscape that is simultaneously orderly and disorienting.

Though the design is intentionally abstract and, according to its creator, devoid of explicit symbolism, its resemblance to a graveyard is unmistakable. Some interpret the sea of grey pillars as evoking unmarked graves or the cold efficiency of a bureaucratic system that facilitated mass murder. Others see in its rigid structure a metaphor for a state that lost its humanity behind walls of administration and ideology.

As one moves deeper into the memorial, the concrete blocks grow taller, eclipsing the cityscape and swallowing sound. The sensation is deliberate. It conveys isolation, loss of identity, and the disorienting fear that accompanied the systematic persecution of Jews under the Third Reich. The path dips downward, suggesting the slow descent into darkness that defined those years.

The unfinished quality of some surfaces serves as a quiet reminder: remembrance is not complete, and history鈥檚 wounds do not fully heal. The fragmentation of space may reflect the fragmented memories of survivors鈥攁nd of those lost, whose stories were never told.

This memorial does not offer resolution or unity. It does not attempt to console. Instead, it confronts. It calls forth reflection鈥攐n individual memory, on collective guilt, and on the enduring responsibility to remember, in a world where forgetting is all too easy...

Beneath the once-imposing gardens of the New Reich Chancellery in Berlin lay a grim vestige of the Third Reich: Hitler's Bunker. This heavily fortified underground labyrinth of concrete chambers became the final command center of Adolf Hitler and the collapsing Nazi regime during the waning months of the Second World War.

On the 16th of January, 1945, Hitler withdrew into this subterranean stronghold. Within its confines, he marked his 56th birthday on April 20 and, in a final gesture of defiance or despair, wed Eva Braun on the night of April 29. Less than twenty-four hours later, on April 30, the couple ended their lives鈥擧itler with a pistol, Braun by cyanide.

According to accounts from those present, their corpses were swiftly carried out into the garden of the Chancellery, doused with approximately 200 liters of petrol, and set alight. Loyal followers stood watch as their remains were consumed by flame, offering Nazi salutes as the regime鈥檚 symbol was reduced to ash.

Outside, the Red Army had breached the city. The Soviet banner soon flew over the Reichstag. Inside the bunker, panic reigned. Of the roughly 800 individuals sheltering within, many attempted escape through the shattered rail tunnels of northern Berlin. Only around one hundred of them would evade death or capture.

In the aftermath of war, Soviet forces razed both the old and new Chancellery buildings. Yet this bunker, buried deep and defiant, resisted complete destruction. It remained largely intact until the late 1980s, when Berlin鈥檚 urban redevelopment exposed鈥攁nd ultimately dismantled鈥攎uch of the remaining structure.

For decades, the site was unmarked, quietly covered over by modern life. Not until 2006 did a modest plaque appear, offering visitors a schematic and somber description of what had once been. Today, the bunker's emergency exit鈥攐nce a passage to the Chancellery gardens鈥攔ests beneath an ordinary parking lot, its history hidden in plain sight.

In the wake of Adolf Hitler鈥檚 appointment as Reich Chancellor in January of 1933, a new chapter in the orchestration of power began. Among those swiftly rewarded for their unwavering loyalty was Joseph Goebbels, the chief propagandist of the Nazi Party. For his instrumental role in securing Nazi control, Goebbels was named Reich Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda鈥攁 newly created position that placed him at the heart of the Third Reich鈥檚 inner circle.

His ministry took up residence in the stately Leopold Palace, an 18th-century edifice situated just opposite Hitler鈥檚 own offices in the Reich Chancellery. From this historic vantage, the Ministry assumed sweeping control over every aspect of German cultural and intellectual life. The press, literature, visual arts, theatre, cinema, music, and radio鈥攁ll were brought under its strict dominion. The unspoken objective was as ambitious as it was insidious: to present an image, both at home and abroad, of a unified Germany rallying behind the F眉hrer with unshakable devotion.

Central to this propaganda machine was the elevation of Hitler himself. He was portrayed not merely as a statesman but as a messianic figure鈥攆lawless, heroic, and destined to lead. While some of the public鈥檚 admiration was genuine, much was carefully cultivated. The 1934 Nuremberg Rally stands as an early example of such orchestration. This mass gathering, meticulously staged for cinematic effect, was immortalized in the film "Triumph of the Will", directed by Leni Riefenstahl鈥攐ne of several productions that blended art with ideology to powerful effect.

The Ministry's growth mirrored the ambitions of the regime. From a modest beginning in 1933 with just five departments and 350 employees, it expanded rapidly. By the outbreak of war in 1939, it encompassed 17 departments and a workforce exceeding 2,000. As the Second World War unfolded, the intensity of propaganda surged. Emerging media鈥攆ilm, radio, and newsreels鈥攂ecame vital instruments in shaping opinion and morale. Drawing on both practical expertise and academic study from Europe and the United States, Nazi propagandists ushered in a grim new era of psychological warfare, where words, images, and sound were as potent as any weapon on the battlefield.

Back in the 1930s, in the heart of Berlin appeared a structure emblematic of power, ambition, and the chilling efficiency of the Nazi regime: Hermann G枚ring鈥檚 Ministry of Aviation. At the time of its completion, it was the largest office building in Europe鈥攁n architectural colossus and a cornerstone of the burgeoning Luftwaffe bureaucracy. Spanning an immense 112,000 square meters, this seven-story edifice comprised 2,800 rooms, over 4,000 windows, and more than 7 kilometers of corridors. It was said to embody the very essence of National Socialist intimidation鈥攎onumental, unyielding, and meticulously ordered.

Constructed in a mere 18 months, with workers laboring day and night鈥攅ven Sundays鈥攖he first 1,000 rooms were completed in just eight months. No fewer than 50 quarries supplied the stone, and by its inauguration, some 4,000 bureaucrats and their secretaries had taken up residence within its walls. The building also housed Germany鈥檚 civil aviation authority, consolidating the instruments of aerial power under one roof.

Remarkably, amid the devastation of Berlin in 1944 and 1945, the Ministry of Aviation endured. While much of the city lay in ruins, this monolithic structure escaped serious damage. In the aftermath of the Third Reich鈥檚 collapse, it passed into Soviet hands, serving as headquarters for the Soviet military administration from 1945 to 1948. During this time, between 1947 and 1949, it also became home to the German Economic Commission鈥攖he administrative nucleus of the Soviet Occupation Zone.

A new chapter unfolded in the early 1950s. Along Leipziger Street, behind the building鈥檚 imposing columns, an 18-meter mural came to life. Crafted from Meissen porcelain tiles, it was designed by artist Max Lingner with the aid of 14 craftsmen. The scene portrayed the Socialist dream鈥攕miling East Germans united as a single, contented family, gazing toward a radiant future.

Following the reunification of Germany, between 1991 and 1995, the former Nazi stronghold became the seat of the Trust Establishment charged with privatizing East Germany鈥檚 state-run enterprises. Its chairman, Detlev Rohwedder, was assassinated by terrorists of the Red Army Faction in 1991. In his memory, the building was renamed the Detlev-Rohwedder-Haus.

Since 1990, the edifice has also housed the Federal Ministry of Finance. Following extensive renovations completed in 1999, it continues to serve this role鈥攊ts long and complex history etched into every stone and corridor. A building born in tyranny, reshaped by occupation, and carried forward into democracy.

In the place where tyranny once took root and festered now stands the Topography of Terror鈥攁n open wound of memory carved into the very ground that bore witness to some of the darkest chapters of the 20th century. This site marks the former location of the Gestapo and SS headquarters, epicenters of persecution, intimidation, and state-sanctioned terror under the Nazi regime.

Though Allied bombing in early 1945 reduced much of the complex to rubble, and the remnants were later cleared away, one part remained鈥攖he original outer wall. It now frames an outdoor historical exhibition, where a chronological procession of images and documents lays bare the machinery of oppression. Here, history is neither softened nor forgotten.

Just beyond, visitors can descend into the excavated basement of a Gestapo building, preserved from the era of the Third Reich. These remnants of stone and steel speak with a quiet finality鈥攁 stark reminder of how systematic cruelty was carried out behind closed doors.

Within a modern, thoughtfully constructed museum building adjacent to the site, the story continues. The indoor exhibition is a comprehensive and unsparing exploration of the rise of National Socialism and its catastrophic consequences, not only for Germany but for Europe and the world. Through meticulously curated photographs, letters, official documents, and audiovisual recordings, the exhibit provides both clarity and emotional depth, presenting an unflinching narrative while honoring the gravity of its subject matter.

Visitors are encouraged to make use of the free lockers before beginning the experience. A self-guided audio tour, rich in detail and historical context, is available and highly recommended. Facilities such as a caf茅 and restrooms offer a brief reprieve in what is otherwise a sobering journey through history.

Tip:
To begin your exploration of the outdoor memorial, start from the left side of the display panels. If visiting during colder months, dress appropriately鈥攖he open-air setting can be brisk. For those seeking an overview rather than an in-depth reading of each panel, consider the free English-language tour held every Sunday at 3:30 pm.

The German Resistance Memorial Center in Berlin鈥檚 Mitte district is a solemn tribute to one of the most courageous yet tragic chapters of World War II. It commemorates the events of July 20th, 1944, when a group of German officers and civilians launched a daring coup in defiance of Adolf Hitler鈥檚 brutal National Socialist regime. History remembers it as the "20 July Plot" 鈥� or, in military circles, "Operation Valkyrie."

At the center of this audacious undertaking was Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg 鈥� a man whose patriotic conscience had turned against the very government he once served. Disillusioned by Hitler鈥檚 tyranny and the atrocities perpetrated under his rule, Stauffenberg became convinced that only the F眉hrer鈥檚 death could halt the madness and restore honor to Germany.

On that fateful day, July 20th, 1944, Stauffenberg entered the Wolf鈥檚 Lair 鈥� Hitler鈥檚 heavily guarded headquarters in East Prussia 鈥� carrying a bomb concealed within a briefcase. Placing it beneath a table during a strategic meeting, he departed, believing the course of history was about to change. The explosion that followed wrought destruction and death 鈥� but not the death of Hitler. The dictator survived, shielded by sheer chance and a heavy oak table leg.

The aftermath was swift and merciless. The failed attempt unraveled the network of conspirators. Arrests, interrogations, and executions followed in grim succession. The dream of a new Germany 鈥� free from the grip of tyranny 鈥� was extinguished in blood.

Today, the German Resistance Memorial Center preserves the very spaces where the plotters once walked and planned. Within its courtyards and chambers, their legacy endures 鈥� not as traitors, but as visionaries of courage and conscience. Through its exhibitions and memorials, the Center calls on each visitor to reflect on the weight of resistance, the cost of integrity, and the enduring struggle for freedom in the darkest of times.