Landtag Dusseldorf – purest Structuralism

Landtag Dusseldorf: Built between 1982 and 1988, the State Parliament of North-Rhine-Westphalia is one of the three state parliaments of the Federal Republic of Germany that were housed in a new building in the post-war period. The construction costs have been 280 million mark. The many circular forms reveal the style of structuralism, the circles interlock like the gears of a clockwork. A further characteristic are the many glass surfaces.

In front of the open main portal facing southeast is the sculpture Tzaphon, installed in 1990 and created by the Israeli artist Dani Karavan. Originally, water was supposed to run through the two railway tracks in the middle, but the idea was rejected. The sculpture has a diameter of 15 meters and weighs 20 tons. The artist is known for his large-scale architectural sculptures, the installation at the Landtag Düsseldorf is one of his major works. The two railway tracks in the middle can be seen as a symbol of the mass extermination of Jews in the Nazi dictatorship, whose transport was carried out by rail. The rails refer to the repeatedly used picture of Auschwitz, on which the main portal becomes visible behind a track bed.

Critics have expressed how easily terrorist attacks – for example from a Bridge – are possible on this building. The entire architecture should however stand for functionality and proximity to the citizen. The Landtag Dusseldorf is open to visitors (groups that have previously registered). Your identity card is required for registration, all belongings must be screened in a security lock. The Chamber can also be visited during meetings, it is permitted to take photographs from the gallery above the Chamber without flash. The unrolling of banners (with political demands) is prohibited.

Landtag NRW, Platz des Landtags 1, 40221 Düsseldorf. Website of the NRW State Parliament: Landtag.nrw.de

To see the image caption in  English click on the circular infopictogram  on the right below the enlarged photo.