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Red Corner: Rebirth of Dresden Church
The beauty of what was once Dresden died two horrible deaths during the 20th century. The first came at the hands of British and American bombers who obliterated the city in the closing days of World War II. The second came from the East German Communists who nobly rebuilt sections of the city, but desecrated other parts with horrible socialist architecture.
The Communists decided to leave one particular building in ruins as a reminder of the horrors of war. The problem was that this building, the baroque masterpiece Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), had been the glorious centerpiece of a city once bursting with so much exquisite architecture it was often compared to Florence.
Shortly after German reunification, a strong push was made to rebuild this masterpiece and return it to its former glory as the icon of Dresden. It took over 15 years, but a few months ago work was finally completed and the Frauenkirche rose majestically from the ashes of World War II.
Now if we could only bomb all that socialist architecture...
Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Germany, Red Corner
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Bryan Mar 7th 2006 1:05PM
I spent many months in Dresden over the past couple years for work. Wonderful city - great architecture, friendly people, central location to other European cities.
I did get to see the rebuilding of the church progress in its final stages, although I haven't seen it totally finished yet. If I recall, the bell was made by a descendant of the man who made the original bell, and includes images memorializing, among other things, the attacks of 9/11.
Here's something I found online:
The new bells of the Frauenkirche peal forth with a message that must touch the hearts of all who hear them. Yet for the members of the New York Philharmonic, the largest bell, Jesaia (Isaiah), sings an especially poignant song. Dubbed the Peace Bell, it bears an image of the World Trade Center towers collapsing on September 11, 2001, accompanied by the words from the Book of Isaiah (II, 4): "Sie werden ihre Schwerter zu Pflugscharen machen" ("They will beat their swords into plowshares").
from
Bryan Mar 7th 2006 1:10PM
Hmm, link didn't work. Credit for the quote:
http://www.nationalreview.com/impromptus/impromptus200512050824.asp
George Mar 7th 2006 7:41PM
I passed through Dresden in 1973 on a eastern discovery tour with American Express on our way to Berlin.That "showplace" of destruction was great propaganda for the east Germans.It is a remarkable picture.