The Reichstag covered in graffiti after being seized from the Nazis by the Red Army, 1945

After capturing the Reichstag in May 1945 and hoisting its flag on its roof, Soviet soldiers made their mark in other ways, writing their names, feelings, thoughts, and hometowns on the walls of the famous building.

Written in Cyrillic script, they include slogans such as "Hitler Kaput" and the names of individual soldiers. Most writing is just "[Russian city] to Berlin" or just "[Russian city] - Berlin" with a name or "Kilroysky was here".

, On the right at the base of the column, just above the head of the statue, "From Moscow to Berlin, Major Yakovlev" is written. On the left column in the circle with the star, "From Leningrad to Berlin" is written with a name.

After the war, the Reichstag remained vacant while the West German Parliament established in Bonn and the East German Parliament were located in East Berlin. In the 1960s, the building was renovated, during which most of the original architecture was destroyed. After reunification in 1990, the German parliament voted to move back from Bonn to Berlin.

During the final reconstruction, the building was almost completely destroyed, with everything removed except the exterior walls, including all alterations made by Baumgarten in the 1960s.

Respect for the historical aspects of the building was one of the set conditions for the architects, so traces of historical events had to be maintained in a visible state.

Among them were the graffiti left by Soviet soldiers after the last battle for Berlin in April-May 1945. However, in agreement with Russian diplomats at the time, graffiti with racist or sexist subjects was removed.

Today, visitors to the building can still see Soviet frescoes on the smoky walls as well as part of the ceiling, which was preserved during the reconstruction after the reunification.