Bonn, Germany. It makes a big difference, whether you go up or down, when entering a building, especially when it is the parliament. In the former German capital city, Bonn, the parliament building seems to be effortlessly embedded into the landscape of the riverbank of the Rhine. A large flat roof is covering loosely arranged terraced platforms. The entrance is from the city side and leads towards the river. Thus, the visitor, as well as the Member of Parliament goes down instead of up into the fully glazed plenum hall.
The German parliament, however, never really was in session in this building, because with the reunification the capital shifted to Berlin. The old Reichstag that was to be the parliament building was built a good hundred years earlier with a completely different need for representation, and grandeur. So, of course the steps lead up into the parliament. Yes, there is the new dome on top, which has a double-helix shaped ramp, so visitors stand on top of the Members of Parliament. But in reality this is more of a touristic attraction to look at the skyline of Berlin than a genuinely democratic idea.
Unfortunately, the former parliament building in Bonn is almost forgotten. But the steps that lead down into the parliament remain to be one of the greatest architectural and political gestures, even if it comes almost unnoticed.