Bundestag

This building became the focus of the art world in June 1995 when it was wrapped in more than one million square feet (more than 90,000 square meters) of silver fabric by the environmental sculptorsChristo and Jeanne-Claude. More than five million people viewed the installation, which was regarded as one of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s most ambitious projects.

On October 4, 1990, the Bundestag of the newly reunified German state had met for the first time in the Reichstag and the following year voted to transfer the seat of government from Bonn to Berlin, with the Reichstag becoming the Bundestag’s permanent home. Though the use of the Reichstag was met with some criticism, the Bundestag opened its inaugural session there on September 7, 1999.

In the 21st century the Reichstag became a symbol of Germany’s commitment to renewable energy. The Reichstag’s iconic dome was designed to bathe the Bundestag chamber in natural light, and a massive solar array on its roof further increased the building’s energy independence. Biofuel generators provided for a significant amount of the Reichstag’s power needs, and in 2008 the Bundestag approved a plan to power the building with 100% renewable resources.