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US President Obama shakes hands with Chancellor Merkel after a joint press conference in Dresden in June 2009.

(© picture-alliance/ dpa-Report)

President Barack Obama is visiting Germany for the second time since taking office. This time, stopovers are in Dresden, Buchenwald, and Landstuhl. Obama arrived in Dresden on Thursday evening where he spent the night at the famous Hotel Taschenbergpalais Kempinski in the city center, a hotel situated in a baroque palace built in 1706.

Friday morning the President met Chancellor Angela Merkel in the Dresden Castle to discuss matters of mutual concern. "It is so important that the American President, Barack Obama, makes his first stop here in Dresden. This is a highly symbolic city. It is a city that was almost completely destroyed during the Second World War, was then rebuilt after Germany unification", Chancellor Merkel declared at the joint press conference that followed the meeting. "It has again turned out to be a jewel of German culture and civilization. The people here are so glad that you've come to see them because it shows that you also pay tribute to the tremendous efforts they made in those 20 years after the fall of the wall", she said.

Beautiful Dresden

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US flag is raised before the backdrop of the famous Frauenkirche

(© picture-alliance/dpa-Report)

"It is wonderful to be in the beautiful city of Dresden, which obviously is steeped in history and, as Chancellor Merkel discussed, has overcome great tragedies and is now this beautiful city full of hope.  And so I'm very grateful to not only Chancellor Merkel but to the German people for their hospitality", President Obama responded. "Germany is a close friend and a critical partner to the United States, and I believe that friendship is going to be essential not only for our two countries but for the world if we are to make progress on some of the critical issues that we face, whether it's national security issues or economic issues or issues that affect the globe like climate change", Obama stated.

In a speech at Dresden Castle President Obama spoke of the need to intensify efforts toward separate Israeli and Palestinian states, saying "the moment is now for us to act." He said, "The United States can't force peace upon the parties." But stressed that since he has been in office his government has “created the space, the atmosphere, in which talks can restart."

Following his speech, Obama moved on to visit the famous Frauenkirche - Church of Our Lady - which was almost entirely destroyed in the bomb attacks on Dresden in 1945 and restored between 1994 and 2005 through private contributions, including from the United States. In addition, the president visited the Dresden Zwinger Palace, a Baroque structure with world-famous museum collections.

Paying Tribute

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President Obama, Chancellor Merkel along with former concentration camp prisoners Elie Wiesel and Bertrand Herz commemorating the victims who died in Buchenwald

(© picture-alliance/ dpa-Report)

Friday afternoon, the president visited the former concentration camp Buchenwald. "As part of that trip we thought it was very important for me to visit Buchenwald. First of all, I've never traveled to one of the concentration camps, but this one has a personal connection to me. It's not only that I know Elie Wiesel and have read about his writings, it's also that -- and I've stated this before -- that my grandfather's -- my grandmother's brother was one -- was part of the units that first liberated that camp", Obama explained his reasons to visit the site.

On the third phase of his stay in Germany, President Obama will flew to Ramstein U.S. air base to conclude his trip with a visit to the U.S. military hospital at Landstuhl, where U.S. soldiers injured in Afghanistan and Iraq, among other regions, are treated.

Following his visit to Germany, President Obama traveled on to France, where he joined French President Nicolas Sarkozy to participate in the ceremonies marking the 65th anniversary of the landing of the Allies in Normandy during World War II.

This visit was Barack Obama’s third trip to Germany. His first visit was to Berlin in July 2008, while he was still a Democratic presidential candidate. At that time, he delivered a speech at the Victory Column before a throng of some 200,000 enthusiastic Germans. In April 2009, Obama traveled to Baden-Baden for the NATO Summit.