Since October, 30th 2005 the steeple of the Frauenkirche Church can be seen on the Dresden skyline once again. The reconstruction of the Frauenkirche is an impressive symbol of international reconciliation after World War II.
The Frauenkirche was erected between 1726 and 1743, following the designs of George Bähr.
On 13 February 1945, Anglo-American allied forces began the bombing of Dresden. The church withstood two days and nights of the attacks and the eight interior sandstone pillars supporting the large dome held up long enough for the evacuation of 300 people who had sought shelter in the church crypt, before succumbing to the heat generated by some 650,000 incendiary bombs that were dropped on the city. The temperature surrounding and inside the church eventually reached 1,000 degrees Celsius.[1] The dome finally collapsed at 10 a.m. on 15 February. The pillars glowed bright red and exploded; the outer walls shattered and nearly 6,000 tons of stone plunged to earth, penetrating the massive floor as it fell.
The heap of ruins was conserved as a war memorial within the inner city of Dresden, as a direct counterpart to the ruins of Coventry Cathedral, which was destroyed by German bombing in 1940 and also serves as a war memorial in England. This pile of rubble remained as it was after the bombing in 1945, until 1994. (Amazing)
After the unification of Germany in 1989, Dresden decided to rebuild the Frauenkirche. The rebuilding started in 1994 and was completed in 2005.
The Frauenkirche is a symbol of conciliation, and was largely rebuilt with donations from German and international foundations. The Neumarkt quarter around the church is also finally regaining its status as the historical heart of the city.
The bottom photo of course, is not my photograph.
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