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Was the Reichstag in East or West Berlin?

by | Mar 7, 2024 | World War Tour Berlin

The history of Berlin must not be discussed with the Reichstag out of context. This was the seat of the German Parliament, and acted as the cornerstone to the country’s political landscape. However, with the division of Berlin during the Cold War, the question arises: Where was the Reichstag in East or West Berlin?

 

Before the Division of Berlin, the Reichstag

The building of the Reichstag was completed in the last 19’h century and was originally a parliament building for the German Imperial Parliament. The building stood on the western side of the River Spree in central Mitte district of Berlin. At that time there was no East or West Berlin — it was Berlin the city.

 

The Reichstag saw plenty of political action in its early 20th century, the Nazi Party coming to power and Adolf Hitler becoming Chancellor in 1933. But during World War II the building was heavily damaged by bombings, and the Battle of Berlin.

 

The Division of Berlin

Upon the conclusion of World War II, the Allies victorious of the war divided Germany and its capital city Berlin between themselves. In 1945, Berlin was split into four zones of occupation: British, American, French and Soviet. The Reichstag was under the control of the ‘respective occupying forces’, as was the case.

 

During a period of rising tensions between the Soviet Union and the Western Allies, the division of East and West Berlin was hardening. On 1 January 1949 East Germany, also known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was formed under official capital of East Berlin. The Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), or West Germany, was made up of Bonn as its provisional (and de facto permanent) capital.

 

During Division the Location of the Reichstag was.

Since the new border was being drawn across the middle of Berlin, straddling the Reichstag was the hotbed where the post- WWI confrontation was starting to brew. The GDR’s Berlin Wall of 1961 divided Berlin in two, effectively East and West. The wall didn’t cut through the Reichstag site directly and so the building was in the Soviet controlled East Berlin.

 

City: Reichstag Location:

East Berlin Yes

West Berlin No

The Modern Reichstag Reunification

After the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and Germany was reunited in 1990, the Reichstag has had more than a billion euros spent on massive renovations. The arch, which can be described as being controversial, was designed in the 1980s by the then famous British architect Sir Norman Foster, who has reimagined the building, adding a striking glass dome to the image of transparency and openness.

 

Reunified Berlin todayemploys the same Reichstag as a symbol of the reunified city, and it’s now the permanent home of the German Parliament.

 

Conclusion

Before the division of the city, the Reichstag had been located in Berlin’s Mitte district and moved to East Berlin. The building was in the Soviet controlled sector because the Berlin Wall was in alignment. When Germany reunified however, the Reichstag was restored to be the home of the German Parliament, a place to bear witness to both the bad and beautiful history of Berlin.

Was the Reichstag in East or West Berlin?