Frauenkirche, Dresden

Where?

An der Frauenkirche, in the Old City

What?

Dresden's most famous church, Frauenkirche was in ruins for 50 years following the bombing of the city during World War II. Although there was a church on the spot as far back as 11th century, the shape of the current building dates to Saxony's heyday - 1st half of 18th century, with a design by George Bähr.

The interior features rich baroque decoration, best viewed from the viewing platform at the top of the cupola, from where you can see the galleries surrounding the circular nave. Noteworthy is also a white altar, rebuilt in 2000.

The church was partially restored with donations from lottery scratchcards, sold in the city in mid-to-late 1990s.

Keep in mind

It's not permitted to take photographs inside (erm, I did break that rule...)

The Dresdener Frauenkirche (under construction)...not this page, but the church....hmm, the page as well. :-)
that´s why I´ll put more important info about this church later, just for now: have a look at this web pages if you´re more interested:

http://www.frauenkirche-dresden.org/ (only in german, sorry)

http://www.cornhusker.net/~bowens/english.html

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The Neumarkt is a central and culturally significant section of the Dresden inner city.
The Neumarkt is one of the most beautiful squares in Germany. The 95m high dome of the Frauenkirche – the central landmark of the city, which dominates the square.

After German reunification the decision was made to restore the Neumarkt to its pre-war look.
The completion of the reconstructed Dresden Frauenkirche in 2005 marked the first step in rebuilding the Neumarkt. Quarter I and the front section of Quarters II, III, IV and V(II) have since been completed.

You can watch my 6 min 04 sec Video Dresden in August of 2005 out of my Youtube channel.

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In three years (and in ten years after my first visit) we went to see how the church looked like at that moment. That was my fourth visit to Dresden.
We knew that the reconstruction of its exterior was completed in 2004.
But it was still closed (in September) because the reconstruction of its interior was going on and in October of 2005 after 13 years of rebuilding, the church was reconsecrated.

Rebuilding the church cost180 million euro. Dresdner Bank financed more than half of the reconstruction costs via a "donor certificates campaign", collecting almost 70 million euro after 1995. Over the years, thousands of watches containing tiny fragments of Church of Our Lady stone were sold, as were specially printed medals.

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For a long time the church was a reminder of the city’s painful past, its recent transformation. The charred remains of the church were left untouched by East Germany’s communist authorities to serve as a reminder of World War II.

When I visited Dresden for the second time in 1999 reconstruction was in full strength.

As far as possible, the church – except for its dome – was rebuilt using original material and plans, with the help of modern technology. The heap of rubble was documented and carried off stone by stone. The approximate original position of each stone could be determined from its position in the heap.
Every usable piece was measured and catalogued. A computer imaging program that could move the stones three-dimensionally around the screen in various configurations was used to help architects find where the original stones sat and how they fit together.

It has been reconstructed as a landmark symbol of reconciliation between former warring enemies.

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A bronze statue of reformer and theologian Martin Luther, which survived the bombings, has been restored and again stands in front of the church. It is the work of sculptor Adolf von Donndorf from 1885.

You can watch my 4 min 57 sec HD Video Dresden 2009 out of my Youtube channel.

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So four years later (and 14 years after the first visit) we came to see the church for the fifth time.

Reconsecrated 60 years after being destroyed by the Allied bombings the Baroque sandstone Church of our Lady became a must again for any visitor to Dresden like it had been before the WWII.
Today it is again the most famous part of Dresden’s skyline.

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Three years later I saw the church for the third time - the building of the church was almost ready.

Of the millions of stones used in the rebuilding, more than 8,500 original stones were salvaged from the original church and approximately 3,800 reused in the reconstruction.
As the older stones are covered with a darker patina, due to fire damage and weathering, the difference between old and new stones will be clearly visible for a number of years after reconstruction.