Reichstag. Glass dome of the Reichstag, the German national parliament building in Berlin. This dome structure, called a cupola, was built during the reconstruction of the parliament building in the 1990s. The central area is a skylight through which tourists can see the German parliament conducting its business. A spiral walkway round the sides of the dome allows tourists to walk to the top for views over the city. The history of the Reichstag goes back to 1894. The building was heavily damaged in a fire in 1933. It remained a ruin until reconstruction work took place in the 1960s. The further reconstruction in the 1990s, designed by Sir Norman Foster, was to house the parliament of the newly reunified Germany.