Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrap the Reichstag
How a huge public art project entranced post-Cold War Berlin
In June 1995 artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped the Reichstag in Berlin in fabric.
The former German parliament building sat on the border between East and West Berlin. It had been gutted by fire in 1933 and extensively damaged during the Second World War.
The monumental public art project was seen by more than five million people and became a symbol for Berlin’s renewal after the fall of the Wall and the collapse of communism.
Christo talks about the motivation behind the project and explains how they made it happen.
Picture: view of west and south facades of Wrapped Reichstag, Berlin 1971-1995 by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Photo by Wolfgang Volz, copyright Christo.
Last on
More episodes
Broadcasts
- Wed 12 Jun 201907:50GMTBBC World Service
- Wed 12 Jun 201911:50GMTBBC World Service
- Wed 12 Jun 201912:50GMTBBC World Service News Internet
- Wed 12 Jun 201915:50GMTBBC World Service Australasia
- Wed 12 Jun 201917:50GMTBBC World Service except Australasia, East and Southern Africa, South Asia & West and Central Africa
- Wed 12 Jun 201920:50GMTBBC World Service South Asia
- Thu 13 Jun 201902:50GMTBBC World Service UK DAB/Freeview
- Thu 13 Jun 201903:50GMTBBC World Service Australasia, Americas and the Caribbean, South Asia, Online & East Asia only
Podcast
![]()
Witness History
The story of our times, told by the people who were there
