TheReichstag after being seized by the Red Army (1945).TheSoviets took the Reichstag in May 1945 and

TheReichstag after being seized by the Red Army (1945).TheSoviets took the Reichstag in May 1945 and raised their flag over theroof in the famous photo.  Soldiers covered parts of the building ingraffiti, including slogans such as “Hitler kaputt”, and thenames of individual soldiers.  One piece of graffiti says “FromMoscow to Berlin, Major Yakovlev”; another says “From Leningradto Berlin”, followed by a name.Afterthe war, the Reichstag remained empty.  The parliament of WestGermany set itself up in Bonn, and the parliament of East Germany inEast Berlin.  The Reichstag was renovated in 1960, and much of theoriginal architecture was destroyed.In1990, the German parliament voted to move from Bonn back to Berlin. During the reconstruction, the Reichstag was first almost completelygutted – everything except the outer walls was removed, includingall the changes made by Paul Baumgarten in the 1960s.  However, thearchitects were required to respect the historic aspects of thebuilding, so some of the Soviet graffiti was retained.  Today, theSoviet graffiti can still be seen inside on smoky walls and on partof the roof, which was preserved after reunification. -- source link

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