| Original caption: “Firemen work on the burning Reichstag Building in February 1933, after fire broke out simultaneously at twenty places. This enabled Hitler to seize power under the pretext of ‘protecting’ the country from the menace to its security.” During the Weimar Republic (1919-1933), the Reichstag became an increasingly busy and crowded place. The Reichstag’s 1,000 employees entered the Reichstag through 1 of 5 “portals.” However, the grand Portal I on the west side of the building, facing the Platz der Republik (“Square of the Republic”), was only used for ceremonial occasions. By contrast, the deputies’ Portal II on the south side facing the Tiergarten resembled a servants’ entrance. The same might be said for Portals III and IV on the east and Portal V on the north side, facing a bend in the river Spree. The Reichstag’s ground floor was taken up by kitchens and cleaning rooms, office space for the stenographers and messengers, and even a gymnasium, baths, and a hairdresser. The heart of the building was the main floor, 1 level up from the street. It was dominated by the Wandelhalle (“Long Lobby”), which, at nearly 320 feet, ran most of the length of the building’s west side. At the south end of the hall was the Reichstag restaurant. Dubbed Fraktion Schulze (“Schulze’s Caucus”) after its 1st proprietor, the restaurant was never much of a success with its intended clientele, who complained about the food’s quality and the overly formal ambience, or with its proprietors, who, from Schulze on, complained of low attendance. The reporters had their own separate canteen, and members of the public could visit the restaurant only in the company of a deputy. Told the Restaurant was on fire, Company 6 from Linienstrasse, under the command of Oberbrandmeister (“Senior Fire Chief”) Emil Puhle (???? – ????), had received the alarm at 2114 Hours and had reached the Reichstag by 2118 Hours. 1 minute later, Fire Chief Waldemar Klotz’s (???? – ????) Company 7 from the district of Moabit, northwest of the Reichstag, was on the scene. While Puhle’s company began working on getting into the Fraktion Schulze restaurant with a ladder, Klotz decided to come at it from inside, through Portal V. Conflicting accounts from various eyewitnesses were overlooked in the trial and execution of Marinus van der Lubbe (January 13, 1909 – January 10, 1934). Van der Lubbe was arrested in the Reichstag building soon after it began burning. Reichstag House Inspector Alexander Scranowitz (February 17, 1882 – April 17, 1955) claimed in his statement to police that he unlocked Portal V, entered the Reichstag plenary chamber, and saw 20 to 25 small fires in the deputies’ seats; “cozy, flickering flames.” Others saw just 1 fire at the Präsident des Reichstags’s desk. 2 minutes later, Klotz entered the plenary and was hit by a wall of heat; the room was “thick with smoke.” At 2127 Hours, the chamber exploded. While the Bundesarchiv credits this photo to Heinrich Hoffmann (September 12, 1885 – December 16, 1957), it is likely taken by 1 of his photographers. In his memoirs, Hoffmann recalls that night: “Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP – “National Socialist German Workers’ Party”) Führer Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – 30 April 30, 1945) turned to us. ‘Ernst Hanfstängl [(February 2, 1887 – November 6, 1975)] says the Reichstag building is on fire. There appears to be no doubt about it. We looked out the window, and the sky over the Tiergarten was, in fact, blood red. ‘It’s the Communists!’ suddenly shouted Hitler in a furious voice. He banged down the receiver. ‘We’ll have a showdown over this! I must go at once! Now I’ve got them!’ Together, Hitler and Reichsminister für Volksaufklärung und Propaganda Joseph Goebbels (October 29, 1897 – May 1, 1945) set off for the scene of the fire. I rang my office at once and was told that one of my reporters was already on his way to the Reichstag, which sufficed. I assumed that every photographer in Berlin would have a rendezvous there, so there was little that interested me personally. I remained quietly where I was with Frau Magda Goebbels (November 11, 1901 – May 1, 1945) and enjoyed my fish. Later, I made my leisurely way to the Reichstag. And by the time I got there, I saw that the fire brigades had already gotten the conflagration under control. Präsident des Reichstags Hermann Goering (January 12, 1893 – October 15, 1946) was interrogating a ‘suspect,’ and Hitler was inside, inspecting the damage. ‘Good riddance to that trashy old shack,’ he said contemptuously to me.” | |
| Image Filename | wwii0805.jpg |
| Image Size | 801.86 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2196 x 2892 |
| Photographer | Heinrich Hoffmann |
| Photographer Title | Heinrich Hoffmann Presse |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | February 27, 1933 |
| Location | Reichstag |
| City | Berlin |
| State or Province | Berlin |
| Country | Germany |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-208-N-39835 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
Author of the World War II Multimedia Database