Photo: Trees in a window

..in Dresden, Frauenkirche Church

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.

More Dresden....

More of Today's trip to Dresden...

Mikuláš - went to Dresden, Germany today

I took the Train to Dresden Germany this morning, to see what are called the Most Beautiful Christmas Markets in Europe... only two hours away from Prague!

They were excellent and instead of One Market, there were many small ones strung together to make a seemingly endless Christmas Market, connecting one large square to another. Each had its own special market name and its own special holiday spirit called Glůhwein; a spiced Holiday wine served hot in its own special mug bearing the name of the Market. Had to try many. But it WAS cold outside;-)

It was raining when I arrived but the skies cleared for about an hour or so. The markets were not too far from the Rail Station and an easy 20 minute walk toward the Elbe River.

The markets stalls were far more festive then the Christmas markets in Prague, and more highly decorated in the Christmas theme, with Christmas carols over loudspeakers. Pine boughs were attached to all the stalls and the crafts were quite colorful and lots of different types of food, pastries and candies. The Main claim to fame here is the Christmas Stolen, a heavy dense fruit(mostly raisins) and nut sweet bread, made white with Powdered Sugar.

Mikuláš

....and today is THE day called Mikuláš and is the name day for all men with this name, which of course, is in the namesake of St. Mikuláš or St. Nicholas.

These photos were taken last night as I walked around Old Town Square as the sun was almost down for the day.

And the tree this year is beautiful...full of red bulbs, twinkling lights...just really nice.

Svatý Mikuláš - Mikuláš Eve

Today is Mikuláš. Eve. A evening set aside especially for children and made of their smiles and their parents smiles as well.
Tomorrow is the actual day called Mikuláš.

Czech children, raised on stories of Mikuláš, are over-awed by this spectacle, for they know what to expect. St. Nicholas or Svatý Mikuláš, an Angel(Anděl) and the Devil(Čert) appear at their homes this evening. St. Nicholas will be asking each and everyone of them if they have been a good child during the past year. The Angel is there for support, the Devil, to take bad children …to you know where.

Most all the children of course say yes and will be asked to sing a song or recite a short poem, after which they are rewarded with sweets, chocolate and other treats.

This evening Old Town Square was filled with thousands of families and little children. Quite honestly I have never seen the streets, Old Town Square and Václavské náměstí so filled with people and families. These pictures are from this evening.

I have fond memories of last zear, when I had the wonderful opportunity to enjoy the Mikuláš Eve in the home of a friend and her child. It was such a wonderful and rich evening full of a child’s laughter and excitement. A very special moment in time. A memory I cherish, for it was with a good friend and it still holds a special place in my being.


...AND today is my third Mikuláš Eve here in Prague; three years in a row: 2007, 2008 & now 2009. !! Wow. I am grateful to be here once again. to je Bajecny!

Anděl, Čert and St. Mikuláš are pictures above in Old Town Square.