Frauenkirche

Dresden, Germany

The Dresden Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) is considered an outstanding example of Protestant sacred architecture, featuring one of the largest domes in Europe. Built in the 18th century, the church was destroyed in the bombing of Dresden during World War II. The remaining ruins were left for 50 years as a war memorial, following decisions of local East German leaders. The church was rebuilt after the reunification of Germany, starting in 1994.

A church dedicated to Our Lady was first built in the 11th century in a romanesque style, outside the city walls and surrounded by a grave yard. The Frauenkirche was the seat of an archpriest in the Meißen Diocese until the Reformation, when it became a Protestant church. This first Frauenkirche was torn down in 1727 and replaced by a new, larger church with a greater capacity. The Frauenkirche was re-built as a Lutheran parish church by the citizenry. Even though Saxony's Prince-elector, Frederick August I, reconverted to Roman Catholicism to become King of Poland, he supported the construction which gave an impressive cupola to the Dresden townscape.

The original Baroque church was built between 1726 and 1743, and was designed by Dresden's city architect, George Bähr, who did not live to see the completion of his greatest work. Bähr's distinctive design for the church captured the new spirit of the Protestant liturgy by placing the altar, pulpit, and baptismal font directly centre in view of the entire congregation.

Architecture

The church's most distinctive feature was its unconventional 96 m-high dome. Comparable to Michelangelo's dome for St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, the Frauenkirche's 12,000-ton sandstone dome stood high resting on eight slender supports. Despite initial doubts, the dome proved to be extremely stable. Witnesses in 1760 said that the dome had been hit by more than 100 cannonballs fired by the Prussian army led by Friedrich II during the Seven Years' War.

In 1849, the church was at the heart of the revolutionary disturbances known as the May Uprising. It was surrounded by barricades, and fighting lasted for days before those rebels who had not already fled were rounded up in the church and arrested.

For more than 200 years, the bell-shaped dome stood over the skyline of old Dresden, dominating the city.

Destruction

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 °C. The dome finally collapsed 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 altar, a relief depiction of Jesus’ agony in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives by Johann Christian Feige, was only partially damaged during the bombing raid and fire that destroyed the church. The altar and the structure behind it, the chancel, were among the remnants left standing. Features of most of the figures were lopped off by falling debris and the fragments lay under the rubble.

Reconstruction

Using original plans from builder Georg Bähr in the 1720s, reconstruction finally began in January 1993. The foundation stone was laid in 1994. The reconstruction of its exterior was completed in 2004, and the interior in 2005. The church was reconsecrated on 30 October 2005 with festive services lasting through the Protestant observance of Reformation Day on 31 October. The surrounding Neumarkt square with its many valuable baroque buildings was also reconstructed in 2004.

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Details

Founded: 1726-1743
Category: Religious sites in Germany
Historical period: Thirty Years War & Rise of Prussia (Germany)

Rating

4.8/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Lolly J (2 months ago)
So beautiful! The history is crazy, and it took many years to rebuild after the war. Our guide showed us a picture he to 1/1/95, still in ruins.
Greta Widmann (3 months ago)
What can I say, as a Dresdener I love to return to my home City and the Frauenkirche holds a special place in my heart It takes my breath away every time I come to visit. That it was actually rebuilt after being a pile of rubble for decades is a miracle to me! As a school girl I used to go there with my class and leave candles on the stones each 13th of February, the night Dresden was bombed in 1945. As a symbol of peace and remembrance. It is now as important as it ever was and I'm looking forward to when I will be at Frauenkirche again, truly a special place with a lot of history. There's an exhibition about the reconstruction in the basement, well worth a visit:-)
Steven Cheng (4 months ago)
Magnificent cathedral, beautifully restored inside and out! It is not a massive building but if you take your time to looking for details, it will amaze you for sure! The church are closed for lunch between 12:00 noon to one PM everyday. And the door D will open right at the bell ring at 1:00 pm. Take your time, seats down and enjoy the inside of this amazing masterpiece! Then come outside, it will also amaze you as well.
gevs (5 months ago)
This church is amazing. I love the architecture and also the interior as well. I recalled that I was completely in awe when I stepped inside. The art on the ceiling and walls are breathtaking. So much detail and attention poured into the paintings and sculptures. If you wish to explore the tower, then you need to get tickets at the entrance.
Elle Travel (5 months ago)
Beautiful and majestic Baroque styled church. Nice to just sit inside and soak in the beauty and ambience. 10 EUR for the walk up to the top. Very steep and narrow staircase towards the end. View up top is worth the stairclimb. Was lucky to catch the sunset here.
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