Visual excerpt from the video mapping show 'Wrapped Reichstag 1995–2025,' Berlin, 2025, courtesy of 2025 DORIAN RIGAL MINUIT (3d Simulation), ANNA BACHEVA (Art Direction)

Berlin celebrates 30 years of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s Wrapped Reichstag with illuminated tribute

This June, Berlin will commemorate the 30th anniversary of Wrapped Reichstag, the landmark artwork by Christo and Jeanne-Claude that enveloped the German parliament building in shimmering fabric in 1995. From June 9th to 20th, 2025, the Wrapped Reichstag will be revisited through a large-scale light projection onto the building’s west façade, illuminating the structure from sunset to 1 AM each evening. Developed by artist Anna Bacheva, the new installation uses 24 synchronized projectors and is presented as a free public event by 30 Jahre Verhüllter Reichstag Schwenkow & Specker GmbH.

First conceived by Christo and Jeanne-Claude in 1971, Wrapped Reichstag took 24 years to realize and was completed in 1995—just five years after German reunification. The temporary installation lasted for 14 days, during which a team of 90 climbers and 120 workers wrapped the building in 100,000 square meters of reflective polypropylene fabric, fastened with nearly 10 miles of blue rope. Entirely self-financed through the sale of Christo’s preparatory drawings, the project became a global symbol of unity, transparency, and artistic freedom.

Vladimir Yavachev, Christo’s nephew and project director, describes Wrapped Reichstag as a triumph of artistic vision and political determination. The 2025 light tribute honors not only Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s enduring legacy but also Berlin’s identity as a city of creative courage and democratic ideals.

Complementing the projection, the Neue Nationalgalerie will exhibit Wrapped Volkswagen Beetle Saloon, another iconic work by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Together, these tributes mark 30 years since Wrapped Reichstag transformed a symbol of state power into a poetic gesture of openness—a gesture that continues to resonate in the heart of Berlin.

Wrapped Reichstag, Christo and Jeanne-Claude
Visual excerpt from the video mapping show Wrapped Reichstag 1995–2025, Berlin, 2025
Courtesy of 2025 DORIAN RIGAL MINUIT (3d Simulation), ANNA BACHEVA (Art Direction)
Wrapped Reichstag, Christo and Jeanne-Claude
CHRISTO AND JEANNE-CLAUDE 
Wrapped Reichstag, 1971-1995, Berlin
Photography by WOLFGANG VOLZ, courtesy of CHRISTO AND JEANNE-CLAUDE FOUNDATION
Wrapped Reichstag, Christo and Jeanne-Claude
CHRISTO AND JEANNE-CLAUDE during the installation of Wrapped Reichstag in Berlin, June 1995
Photography by WOLFGANG VOLZ
Courtesy of CHRISTO AND JEANNE-CLAUDE FOUNDATION
Wrapped Reichstag, Christo and Jeanne-Claude
CHRISTO AND JEANNE-CLAUDE 
Wrapped Reichstag, 1971-1995, Berlin
Photography by WOLFGANG VOLZ, courtesy of CHRISTO AND JEANNE-CLAUDE FOUNDATION