For almost 50 years, the Frauenkirche or Church of our Lady was nothing more than a pile of rubble after being destroyed in 1945, but now the reconstructed church's enormous dome dominates Dresden's cityscape once again.
Already in the 11th century a church stood at the site of today's Frauenkirche but early 18th century the church had become too small for Dresden's growing population so in 1722 the city's town council decided to build a new and larger church.
The Building
George Bähr, Dresden's master carpenter, designed an impressive 95m (311ft) high baroque church with a stone dome, 23.5m (77ft) in diameter, on a square ground plan.Construction of the Frauenkirche started in 1726 and the church was consecrated just 7 years later, in 1734. The dome, which became known as the 'stone bell', was finished in 1738. In 1743, the whole building was completed. The magnificent church, boasting the largest dome north of the alps soon became a world-known symbol of the city.
Collapse and Reconstruction
The Frauenkirche seemed to miraculously survive the heavy allied bombings and subsequent fires of February 13, 1945, but on the 15th, after the building's sandstone had started to cool down, the whole building collapsed.That same year the local church started a campaign to gather donations for a reconstruction of the Frauenkirche, but those efforts were halted soon after the end of the war. 45 Years later, shortly after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Dresden citizens started a new initiative aimed at reconstructing the city's most renowned building. The church of Saxony and the city of Dresden soon supported the initiative and in 1993
reconstruction of the Frauenkirche finally started.That year all the rubble was sorted and put on shelves, so that as much of the original stones could be reused. Those stones can be easily identified on the now brand new looking church: they have a much darker tone than the new sandstones.
Donations
Most of the funds for the reconstruction came from donations. The most symbolic is the new replica of the 4,7m high steeple cross, donated by a group of British donors.
Re-consecration
The reconstructed Frauenkirche was consecrated on October 30, 2005, just in time for Dresden's 800th anniversary in 2006.
Already in the 11th century a church stood at the site of today's Frauenkirche but early 18th century the church had become too small for Dresden's growing population so in 1722 the city's town council decided to build a new and larger church.The Building
George Bähr, Dresden's master carpenter, designed an impressive 95m (311ft) high baroque church with a stone dome, 23.5m (77ft) in diameter, on a square ground plan.Construction of the Frauenkirche started in 1726 and the church was consecrated just 7 years later, in 1734. The dome, which became known as the 'stone bell', was finished in 1738. In 1743, the whole building was completed. The magnificent church, boasting the largest dome north of the alps soon became a world-known symbol of the city.
Collapse and ReconstructionThe Frauenkirche seemed to miraculously survive the heavy allied bombings and subsequent fires of February 13, 1945, but on the 15th, after the building's sandstone had started to cool down, the whole building collapsed.That same year the local church started a campaign to gather donations for a reconstruction of the Frauenkirche, but those efforts were halted soon after the end of the war. 45 Years later, shortly after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Dresden citizens started a new initiative aimed at reconstructing the city's most renowned building. The church of Saxony and the city of Dresden soon supported the initiative and in 1993
reconstruction of the Frauenkirche finally started.That year all the rubble was sorted and put on shelves, so that as much of the original stones could be reused. Those stones can be easily identified on the now brand new looking church: they have a much darker tone than the new sandstones.Donations
Most of the funds for the reconstruction came from donations. The most symbolic is the new replica of the 4,7m high steeple cross, donated by a group of British donors.
Re-consecration
The reconstructed Frauenkirche was consecrated on October 30, 2005, just in time for Dresden's 800th anniversary in 2006.
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