The Dresden Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) is a Lutheran church in Dresden Germany. Built in the 18th century, the church was destroyed in the firebombing of Dresden during World War II. It was reconstructed as a landmark symbol of reconciliation between former warring enemies. The reconstruction of its exterior was completed in 2004, its interior in 2005 and, after 13 years of rebuilding, the church was reconsecrated on 30 October 2005 with festive services lasting through the Protestant observance of Reformation Day on 31 October. Once a month, an Anglican Evensong in English is held in the Church of Our Lady, with clergy sent from St. George's Anglican Chaplaincy in Berlin.
The conviction that the Frauenkirche that had been totally destroyed simply had to be rebuilt was shared by many people within Dresden and elsewhere too. But it took 45 years for the realisation of this dream to become a feasible possibility. And, in total, 60 years went by before the Frauenkirche in all its baroque beauty could reopen its doors to the world. Initial endeavours to start rebuilding were already undertaken in the last months of the Second World War. As the reconstruction of a church was not, however, a priority issue in the GDR (former East Germany), conditions favourable to this didn't exist until after the political changes that led to the reunification of Germany. Thanks to the impressive efforts made by the citizen's action group, the reconstruction concept was spread throughout the entire world. Over a period of 11 years and more, the church was rebuilt piece by piece - in keeping with the design specifications set out by George Bähr for the old church and using original materials to the largest extent possible. On October 30th 2005, the celebratory consecration took place to mark the conclusion of the church's reconstruction. My good friend Christina sent me this lovely card.