Highlights of Berlin's government district

Take a selfie with the Chancellor, take a look at her desk, or enjoy her view? Anything is possible during the open day on August 17 and 18. Angela Merkel is even expected to sign autographs in her office. The building, designed by architects Axel Schultes and Charlotte Frank, is also an attractive destination for architecture lovers.

Among the 14 ministries, the Finance Ministry is the most historic building. It was erected in 1935 as the Aviation Ministry under Herman Göring and was the first large-scale building of the Nazis. After the end of the war, it served as a meeting place when the former East Germany was founded on October 7, 1949. The mural "Aufbau der Republik" from 1953 is a reminder of this.

The building block on the Landwehr canal served various military authorities dating all the way back to the time of the Kaiser. During Nazi rule, a Wehrmacht resistance group met here, as they tried in vain to end the Nazi reign with an assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler on July 20, 1944. This is remembered by the publicly accessible Memorial to the German Resistance.

The sculpture in the inner courtyard of a naked young man with his hands tied reminds us of the failed assassination attempt. The memorial has been extended several times and aims to show how the resistance fighters of the July 20 plot as well as other people and groups resisted the Nazi dictatorship.

As the seat of parliament, the Reichstag is not included in the government's open day. But as a rule, you can always get in here if you register to visit a Bundestag debate, for example. The only restriction is that there are only a limited number of seats in the gallery. Also anyone and their accompanying group invited by a member of parliament can visit a debate or the building.

There are no obstacles to visiting the Reichstag dome. All you have to do is register in advance. The dome was an initially controversial part of the redesign of the building by architect Norman Foster. In the meantime, it has become a landmark of Berlin. From here you have a good view of the city, and its opening hours are somewhat unusual for Germany, from 8 am until midnight.

The Jakob-Kaiser-Haus is the largest German parliamentary building with 1,745 offices and it is adjacent to the Reichstag. The side of the building facing the Spree is also remarkable. Israeli artist Dani Karavan designed a glass wall here displaying the first 19 articles of the German constitution.

The Bundestag lower house of parliament will open its doors for the 15th time this year. On Sunday, September 8, you can take a look behind the scenes in the Reichstag building, the Paul-Löbe-Haus and the Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders-Haus. Early risers have the chance to meet Bundestag President Wolfgang Schäuble in the Reichstag.

One of the most beautiful places in Berlin's government district is the Spreeplatz opposite the Paul-Löbe-Haus and the Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders-Haus. On the steps of the river Spree you can relax during the day and during the summer months watch a large picture installation in the evening: A 30-minute film about the history of the Reichstag and democracy in Germany.

Once a year, the Federal President also invites visitors to the citizens' festival at Bellevue Palace, his official residence in the Tiergarten. On August 31, 2019 there will be music and entertainment held under the motto "Open Palace Day." Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has promised to be there too.