Learn How to Pronounce Reichstag | YouPronounce.it
How to Pronounce Reichstag
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Meaning and Context
The Reichstag, officially known as the Deutscher Bundestag – Plenarbereich Reichstagsgebäude, is the historic parliamentary building in Berlin that serves as the seat of the German Bundestag. Its cornerstone was laid in 1884, and it housed the Imperial Diet until the 1933 Reichstag fire, a pivotal event exploited by the Nazis to consolidate power. Severely damaged during the Battle of Berlin in World War II, the building stood as a ruined symbol until its profound reconstruction and transformation led by British architect Sir Norman Foster, completed in 1999. The crowning feature, a striking modern glass dome (Kuppel), offers a 360-degree view of the city and is a masterful architectural metaphor for transparency in governance, allowing natural light to illuminate the parliamentary chamber below. As a premier Berlin landmark and a central pillar of German democracy, the Reichstag attracts millions of visitors for Reichstag dome tours and to witness Bundestag parliamentary sessions, embodying both the weight of German history and the nation's commitment to renewal, reunification, and open democracy in the 21st century.
Common Mistakes and Alternative Spellings
The primary spelling is "Reichstag," a compound German noun. Common errors and variants include misspelling it as "Reichstag" (adding an extra 'g'), "Reichstad" (substituting a 'd'), or "Riechstag" (transposing the 'e' and 'i'). In English texts, it is sometimes incorrectly pluralized as "Reichstags" when referring to the building itself, though "Reichstag" serves as both singular and plural in that context; the plural "Reichstage" correctly refers to the historical assemblies or diets. The term is also frequently confused with "Bundestag," which is the modern German parliament that meets within the Reichstag building. Another typo is "Reichtag," omitting the 's,' which changes the meaning to "wealth day." When writing, it is conventionally capitalized as it is a proper noun, and the "ch" is pronounced as a guttural sound, similar to the Scottish "loch."
Example Sentences
No visit to Berlin is complete without reserving a free ticket to ascend the iconic glass dome of the Reichstag for breathtaking panoramic views.
Following the German reunification in 1990, the symbolic decision was made to move the federal government from Bonn back to the restored Reichstag in Berlin.
The architect Sir Norman Foster ingeniously designed the new dome to symbolize political transparency, with a mirrored funnel that reflects sunlight into the plenary hall below.
Historians often note that the 1933 Reichstag fire was a critical juncture that led to the suspension of civil liberties in the Weimar Republic.
Today, the building's façade still bears Russian graffiti from 1945, carefully preserved as a poignant reminder of its turbulent past during the final Battle of Berlin.