The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1894-11-15
NEW GERMAN CAPITOL
The Great Structure Formally
Dedicated Today,
THOUGH NOT FULLY COMPLETED

A Building Typical Of the March of Ger
many In Science, Art and Architecture,
the Total Cost of which win be About
sixty Million Marks.
BERLIN, Nov. 15,-The massive govern
ment building, the now reichstag
structure, was formally opened today
1t is by no means complete, but it
is the young kaiser's earnest wish that the
E4ermap parliament should hold its next
session in the great hall designed for it,
and thousands are therefore at work to
see that his desire in the matter is at least
made possible. There is fully another
years work within the building in the
way of great decorations and the making
and placing of the statuary designed to
fill the thousand inches in the massive
corridors of this monumental structure.
For twelve years the worbmen have
been busted on this building, which, with
its graceful front, faces the famous green
sward of the still more famous Thiergar-
ten, and with it's terraced rear looks down
upon the hustle and turmoil of busy Ber-
lin 1t is an ideal location, selected as it
was by the greatest of Germany's land
scape artists From it's top, on which the
imperial crown rests like gem set in the
sky, the view of the great city is entranc-
ing 1t towers even above the great col
umn of Victory, which commemorates'the
result of the Franco-German war.
The statue of Germania holds the place
of honor on the facade, and the friezes un-
derneath it are adorned with the German
arms and NEUROLOGICAL figures telling the
story of early Teutonic times Underneath
this is the dediCatory inscription: '"ro the
German People" Its German letters form
the words "Dem Deutschen Woke" The
ornamental work and the statuary which
already adOrn the outside of the structure
are the work of a host of Germany's S mas
ters, among whom towers the sculptor of
the Germania statue, Reinhold Vegas
1t was in 1880 that the reichsrath first
gave to the world the conception of this
new structure. 1t seemed to be an inn
pulse of the nation, and the German popu-
latiOn showed in unmstakable ways that
nothing would tend more to completely
cement the German federation than IL
monumental structure which would be
long to the nation and be typical not alone
of its unity, but of it's great advance in
science, art and architecture 1t was to
be a crowning event in the history of the
new Germany, and this indeed it has
1s
old emperor, William l. laid the corner
stone, his impressive words, few as they
We're breathed the noble spirit of patriot
ism, and were much in the nature of a pre-
diction that the completion of the struct-
ure would find reunited Germany the
strongest nation on the face of the earth
Not until 1882 was the prize architectural
competitition decided Hundreds of plans
had been submitted by the greatest and
the least, and it remained for man
practically unknown to even his own
nation to win the great prize. 1t was to
Paul Wall OF that the honor was accorded.
He was born at OppeDheim on the Rhine,
was educated at Darmstadt, in the tech
nological institutes of Berlin and Hanover,
and later perfected himself in his art in
the studies of Gropius, Lucae and Hitzig
He is not alone q great architect but a
talented landscape artist and remarkably
clever civil engineer.
In the first conception of the building
the architect had designed the main hall
directly under the great cupola, intending
that it should be flooded with light. It was
almost q whim of the old emperor that oC-
casioned a change in the design so far as
this idea was concerned Al a gathering
| of all those interested the old emperor ra-
| marked IAau III NOulu DC very nara On
Mr.. Windhort, the great clerical leader, to
climb the stairs to great hall directly
under the cupola. And so the plan was
| changed to conform in many respects to
that of the government building of the
| United States, where congress meets in
| the wings.
The cost of the building will, when COM
| pleted reach perhaps, 6000O0OO marks.
This is exactly double the amount at first
voted to carry out the colossal project
| Had the original design for interior deco
| ration and statuary been carried out it is
likely that the building would have cost
over 10O,0O0,000 marks.