German Info: Saxony Baroque Meets High Tech

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Frauenkirche Dresden
Once Again City’s Crowning Glory

Baroque: The Frauenkirche Dresden was first completed in 1743.

Once again, the Frauenkirche Dresden is an open house of God and man. Everyone is cordially invited to attend services, devotions, readings, concerts and other events in this very special place of faith, hope and reconciliation.

For 200 years, the Frauenkirche used to be the crowning glory of Dresden. Originally completed in 1743, this baroque church was a stone monument to faith. The bell-shaped stone dome weighing no less than 12,000 tons was the most significant dome north of the Alps. The baroque interior and the famous organ by Silbermann made it special and renowned.

Dome: The famous dome is as magnificent inside as out.

Completely gutted by fire, the Frauenkirche collapsed on the morning of February 15, 1945, two days after the bombing of Dresden. For 45 years, the ruins of the Frauenkirche gaped like an open wound in the heart of the city. Many citizens hoped for a reconstruction, yet it took five decades - until the fall of the iron curtain - before this dream could start to be realized. A group of citizens set up the “Appeal from Dresden” initiative and called openly for a reconstruction of the Frauenkirche.

Interior: The restoration of each detail was a painstaking job.

The response was overwhelming. The willingness to provide support in the form of private donations was unprecedented. Thanks to the generosity of well over 100,000 private donors primarily from Germany but also from the United States and elsewhere, the Frauenkirche has been restored to its former glory. The society of the Promotion of the Reconstruction of the Frauenkirche Dresden and 25 different supporting societies such as the American “Friends of Dresden” helped with substantial contributions to rebuild this amazing church.

City: Today, the Frauenkirche is once again the heart of historic Dresden.

Nearly one year ago, on October 30, 2005, the Frauenkirche Dresden was consecrated amid ceremonies that kicked off a year-long celebration of the city’s 800th anniversary. Tens of thousands came to the inner city of Dresden to take part in the consecration service; millions watched it on television. Since then, almost two million people - four times the population of Dresden – have come to visit the church. Visitors come from all over the world and attend services, go on guided or self-guided tours, ascend the dome or simply take a seat in the nave to enjoy the beauty of this rebuilt house of God.

Links

Stiftung Frauenkirche Dresden