The Reichstag: The German Parliament

GSE, Districts7250 tours the Reichstag

One morning I went on a run. After asking the woman at the hotel reception desk for ideas of where to go she suggested following the River Spree, which runs through Berlin. With map in hand I ran out the door in search of the river. It was rather easy to find. At one point, I veered away from the river through a wide pedestrian path way and found myself in front of a building, the top of which read "Dem Deutschen Volke." I think this means the German People. I thought maybe this is where the group is touring tomorrow. People were queing on the front steps of this building to go inside and it was not even 9:00am. My team and the New South Wales GSE team were set to go to Parliament the next morning. Sure enough a little over 24 hours later, I arrived at that very building, the Reichstag.

Model of Reichstag

The Reichstag is home to the Bundestag, the German Parliament. After the Cathedral in Koln (Cologne), it is the 2nd most visited building in Germany. Fortunately, we did not have to wait in line. A tour, in English, was arranged for us with Dr. Klinan Jaeger. He focused on the architecture as well as the history of the buidling. Dr. Jaeger touched upon the grafiti, written by Russian soldiers when they occupied building. When Parliament was moved to the Reichstag, a concious decision was made to leave this history in tack.

S bahn on the way to the Reichstag


Passed through the Brandenburg Gate


The Reichstag

Writing on the Walls of the Riechstag left by soldiers

Katharina Sieverding ( I think)

Reichstag Blue, Special color made just for Parliament

Dome of the Reichstag

Meeting with Thilo Hoppe, Green Party

Aurich, Lower Saxony

Dem Deutschen Volke

Pergamon Museum

While in Berlin, I visited the Pergamon Museum. Originally I wanted to go to the Papyrus Museum. Instead, I went to the Pergamon, with Oldendburg Rotary club hosts Richard and Gisela, as well as Barbara, the GSE team leader. To my surprise I really enjoyed the visit!!! The museum actually houses three museums in one including, the Collection of Classical Antiquities, the Museum of the Ancient Near East, and the Museum of Islamic Art.



Part of the Frieze, Pergamon Museum