The dark stones
Blackened original stones set back in their exact places among the new ones — the rebuilding story written on the façade.
Netopyr — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Txllxt TxllxT — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Herausgeber: Otto Richter (1852–1922) — Public domain · Bybbisch94 — CC BY-SA 4.0
Because the builders reused the original stones recovered from the rubble, returning each one to its exact former position. Those stones were blackened by the fire of 1945, while the new stone stayed pale. Over the years the new stone darkens and the contrast fades.
Yes on a clear day: the view takes in the old Dresden roofs and the Elbe. The route is a spiralling ramp, easier than ordinary stairs, though the last part is a narrow stair. Tickets come from a separate office with limited numbers, so buy early.
Certainly — the church is open to all visitors and entry is free. All that is asked is respect: quiet, modest dress, and no photography during services. Many who come do so for its history and meaning rather than for religious reasons.
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The Frauenkirche is Dresden's most important and most symbolic building. Built in the eighteenth century under a huge stone dome, it collapsed entirely two days after the bombing of February 1945. Its rubble lay as a heap of stone in the middle of the city for forty years, left deliberately as a memorial against war. After German reunification, rebuilding began with donations from around the world and was completed in 2005. Remarkably, the builders numbered the original stones and returned them to their exact places — which is why the façade shows dark stones scattered among the pale new ones: the old ones were blackened by the fire of 1945. Entry is free; the dome climb needs a ticket.
Blackened original stones set back in their exact places among the new ones — the rebuilding story written on the façade.
A light interior in pale colours and gold with circular galleries — quite unlike the dark churches elsewhere in Europe.
A ramped walkway spiralling up inside the dome to a view over old Dresden and the Elbe.
The twisted original cross recovered from the rubble, displayed inside beside its replacement.
Neumarkt, 01067 Dresden