Footsteps of WWII · Berlin & eastern Germany

Reichstag, Berlin

Battlefield · 28 Apr–2 May 1945

The story

Burnt out in the February 1933 fire and unused by the Nazi parliament, the Reichstag was still treated by the Red Army as the symbol of Berlin. Troops of the 3rd Shock Army stormed it from 30 April 1945 against a substantial German garrison, fighting room by room until the defenders gave up on 2 May. That day Yevgeny Khaldei photographed a soldier raising the Soviet flag on the roof, a picture that became the defining image of the war's end. Soviet soldiers covered the walls with graffiti. When Norman Foster rebuilt the building for the Bundestag in the 1990s, much of it was deliberately kept.

What to look for

Inside, preserved Soviet graffiti in Cyrillic and bullet scars survive on the walls, though most are seen only on guided tours. Visitors with a booking climb the glass dome and use the roof terrace. Outside, on the Tiergarten edge, slate plates remember the Reichstag deputies murdered by the Nazis.

Plan your visit

Dome and roof terrace are free but need advance online registration with names and dates of birth; bring photo ID. The dome is closed for maintenance 19–30 October 2026 (terrace stays open). Check the website before you go.

Nearby sites

• Soviet War Memorial, Tiergarten · under 1 km
• Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe · under 1 km
• Site of the Führerbunker · under 1 km
• Topography of Terror, Berlin · 1 km
• German Resistance Memorial (Bendlerblock) · 2 km
• Soviet War Memorial, Treptower Park · 7 km

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