St. Paul’s Church, Frankfurt am Main, Hesse. St. Paul’s Church is a symbol of the democratic aspirations of the 19th century. It was here that the first pan-German National Assembly convened in 1848. It drafted a groundbreaking constitution intended to guarantee unity and freedom for the German states and fundamental rights for citizens. However, the Prussian King Frederick William IV rejected it, and the constitution could not be implemented. Nevertheless, the St. Paul’s Church Constitution was an important step toward democracy in Germany and a model for later constitutions.

In the revolutionary year of 1848, the church boasted the largest and most modern hall in the city and was therefore an ideal venue for the National Assembly. To ensure that sessions could be held even during the winter months, the church was even equipped with state-of-the-art underfloor heating at the turn of the year 1848–49. The church, which was completely bombed and burned down in 1944, was rebuilt beginning in 1947–48. While its exterior remains almost unchanged, the original interior is now barely recognizable. In place of the former nave with its galleries, a low colonnaded hall was created, with a deliberately simple hall above it.

Bebenhausen Monastery, Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg. The State Parliament of Württemberg-Hohenzollern was the first freely elected parliament in Germany after World War II. Located in the French occupation zone, the State Parliament and the state constitution were established at Bebenhausen Monastery. The state existed until 1952. The state constitutions adopted after World War II express, within a constitutional framework, the cultural and political differences among the federal states of modern Germany.

Reich Court, Leipzig, Saxony. The Reich Court in Leipzig, which today houses the Federal Administrative Court, was a central venue for constitutional justice in the Weimar Republic from 1921 to 1933. It was here that the “State Court for the Protection of the Republic” and the “State Court for the German Reich” ruled on political offenses and constitutional conflicts. The State Court for the Protection of the Republic was an attempt to defend the young democracy against attacks—a bold endeavor that, however, came to an end in 1927. The “State Court for the German Reich” is often regarded as the precursor to the Federal Constitutional Court.

Inside the building, which opened in 1895, a formal late-Renaissance style prevails, blending polished marble with light gray stone. Large stained-glass windows brighten the solemn atmosphere.

Palace of the Republic, Berlin. The Palace of the Republic, the former seat of the People’s Chamber of the GDR, did not become a landmark in the history of democracy until August 23, 1990: On that day, the People’s Chamber voted by a clear majority to have the GDR join the scope of application of the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany. The decision marked the end of the GDR and symbolized the success of the Peaceful Revolution, which had given voice to the citizens’ desire for freedom and democracy. The reunification and the GDR’s accession to the Basic Law demonstrate how Germany’s democratic constitutional tradition ultimately made a unified, free constitutional state possible.