Reichstag – In A Berlin Minute (Week 170) from Luci Westphal on Vimeo.
The Berlin building referred to as the Reichstag (officially: Reichtagsgebäude) today houses the Bundestag, which is the name for the German parliament. It was originally opened in 1894 when Germany was still the German Empire, ruled by the Kaiser. During the Weimar Repbulic (Weimarer Republik) it was the seat of the Reichstag.
After it was partially destroyed during the Second World War it sat empty while East and West Germany used other buildings for their respective government bodies. After the reunification it was restored and eventually used again for government functions. That is when the dome was rebuilt as it is today.
Friends had been telling me how rather magnificent it is up there. But I guess, I had to see it through my own lens first to become a believer. I was quite astonished how the lines, movements, reflections, silhouettes and light reached a whole other level through the two-dimension of my camera. That’s why in the end I chose more shots of the spiral inside than the view of Berlin outside. It reminded me of the Guggenheim Museum, but made out of glass – instead of visual artwork there is the sky and the beloved city of Berlin. Also instead of overpriced, entry here is free. But you should preregister online so you don’t have to wait in a long line.
In this case I didn’t do much color correction because I really appreciated how the light during golden hour looked so different in the various directions.
The sunset that night was magnificent and I plan to upload it as a long video on my LuciWest channel.
Last but not least, the shot of the Goldelse and Funkturm and Teufelsberg is for Helena and all those who have told me that any of those three places are their special place or symbol of Berlin.
This was my last official shoot for this Berlin phase. But there will be one more video coming for my actual last
week in Berlin (this video is just barely eeking in as a belated video from the week before).
The music was written and performed by Thimo Sander.
 |
| Reichstag – Berlin |