Berlin: Dinner atop the German parliament building

We had a private group dinner at a dining room/restaurant (“Dachgarten”) on the roof of the Deutschen Bundestag (German parliament building, formerly known as the Reichstag).  The location is truly unique; while the food is carefully prepared, it was not that special.

The original Reichstag building was built in 1890s, disused just before World War II and was abandoned after the division of Germany.  After reunification, Norman Foster renovated the building and added a glass dome.  The dome is open to the public and has a spiral ramp inside that allows visitor to walk upwards.  It is all very hi-tech – star wars death star ambience.

Not sure what this massive fin-like thing does. It looks like the back of my Aeron chair upside down.

From the top, the visitors can through an opening see the parliament chamber.  It is thus possible to see the German chancellor Angela Merkel speak at the podium.  An array of mirrors centrally suspended in the dome brings sunlight into the parliament chamber.  These features all symbolize the transparency of Germany’s democratic process to her citizens who are above the parliament.

The front of the building has a huge inscription “Dem deutschen Volke” meaning “For the German People”.  Too dark to see here.

Just before its renovation, the building was the subject of one of Christo’s art project – it was entirely, top to bottom, wrapped by white fabric. Check out the official photos and drawings of Christo’s Wrapped Reichstag on their site here.  Many pictures can also be found on Flickr.