Reichstag

Ghost of Berlin does a good job portraying the stories and history of Germany through the existence of man-made structure. The Reichstag in particular, has stood through the different Germanys, from the first German parliament in 1894, through Nazi Germany, Soviet Germany and now modern or "unified" Germany. Throughout history, it seemed to have represented different ideologies to different people, and many political regimes tried to use the building to access the heart of the public. The construction, destruction, the conquer and finally the new facade of the Reichstag all were used to symbolize the power and control over Germany. It's odd that as people, we look to objects for meaning and significance of our own lives. After it was partly destroyed in WWII, Hitler looked as it as a degradation of the former parliament, and the Soviets looked upon the conquer of te Reichstag as a victory over Nazi Germany. After the war, when the outer facade was mostly destroyed, it became a symbol for defeated Germany and the project to rebuild the Reichstag represented the passion of the people for a unified Germany. It seems that the building reflects the old and the only way to move forwards is to give it a new look.

I thought Christo's "wrapped Reichstag" was a very modern surreal way of looking at the building. The historical man=made landmark that marked the history of Germany was suddenly transformed do something... blank. I think it forced the people to reexamine identity because it became a blank canvas to recreate something new. The wrapping and covering up the historically significant building did not make the Reichtag insignificant at all, but quite the contrary. Although the physical building was covered, the symbolism of the structure to its people was so rich that it could not be made invisible by a wrap. The transformation in a way seems to fit the country's state of struggling for a new identity. The symbol of unwrapping it could be even more powerful.