The Frauenkirche — Church of Our Lady — is the defining landmark of Dresden's skyline and one of the most resonant architectural symbols in Europe. The original church, completed in 1743 by George Bähr, was a masterpiece of Protestant Baroque: an enormous sandstone dome rising 91 metres over the old town, the interior a swelling oval of galleries and gilded stucco.
The 1945 firebombing destroyed much of Dresden in two nights. The Frauenkirche survived the initial blast but the heat weakened its sandstone pillars; on 15 February the dome collapsed inward, and the ruins smouldered for days. The East German government chose to leave the rubble as a monument to the victims of war — a blackened heap in the centre of the city for nearly fifty years.
After reunification, a citizens' movement raised support for rebuilding. Archaeologists and stonemasons catalogued and saved the original stones; the darker, smoke-stained pieces are visible throughout the rebuilt structure, giving the facade a distinctive mottled pattern of old and new. The church was consecrated in October 2005, sixty years after its destruction.
The interior is worth the effort to enter — the gilded organ, the swooping galleries, and the view from the dome platform are exceptional. At the altar, a cross made from nails salvaged from Coventry Cathedral (itself bombed by Germany in 1940) stands as a sign of reconciliation. Buy timed tickets for the dome climb in advance.