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German History in Documents and Images
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Artist Christo in Front of the Wrapped Reichstag (June 25, 1995)
On February 25, 1994, after 23 years of relentless lobbying, artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude finally secured Bundestag approval for their wrapped Reichstag project with a majority of 292 to 223 votes (9 abstentions). Helmut Kohl and Wolfgang Schäuble were among the project's opponents. On June 17, 1995, the wrapping of the Reichstag began; it required over 100,000 square meters of fireproof, aluminum-coated polypropylene fabric and 15,600 meters of rope. Numerous volunteers as well as 90 professional climbers participated in the work, which was completed on June 24. The wrapped Reichstag remained on display until July 7. Christo’s project was an enormous success and attracted huge crowds: in all, about 5 million visitors admired his artwork, bestowing new democratic meaning on the controversial old Reichstag building in the process. This photo shows the Bulgarian-born artist on a platform in front of the wrapped Reichstag. Photo: Wolfgang Kumm.