Demokratie Bauen / Building Democracy

Completed in 1894, the Reichstag building in Berlin bears witness to the age of extremes that was the 20th century: the might of the aristocracy, a coup détat, near-destruction in deliberate attacks and in warfare, partial demolition of its ruins, rediscovery and reinterpretation. The Reichstag building has many faces. "Building Democracy" explores the story of this historic building and its construction and use - the many twists and turns of history, the diverse connections with the Zeitgeist, the prevailing mood within society. It looks at how this has shaped and influenced the conceptual underpinnings and the architecture of the parliamentary building over almost 130 years of its existence - a story which is retold in the series of 30 panel drawings comprising the 'Reichstag Cycle' by the editor of this volume Sebastian Felix Ernst that is part of the art collection of the German Bundestag since fall 2023 and installed in the foyer of the Reichstag building. The chapters on sources are a collage of archive material and text fragments that were vital to the creative process behind the panels production. The Reichstags architecture, construction and the ever-changing political context of the commissioning process are compared in an exploration spanning the period from the German parliamentary buildings earliest days until the turn of the millennium. When the mise-en-scène of parliamentary power is debated, architecture plays a significant role. The study sheds light on both the protagonists and the processes. The lengthy and often convoluted decision-making on the outcome of architectural competitions, but also the tension between the architects creative visions and the political selfperception of those responsible for commissioning have inevitably left their mark on the substance of the Reichstag building. A detailed examination of the architecture thus reveals a story of political self-discovery.