The Crowning of the Frauenkirche

The Golden Cross is placed atop Dresden's rebuilt Masterpiece

On June 22, 2004, while the world waited and wondered about outcomes of destruction in Iraq, a story of resurrection and healing emerged in Dresden, Germany. The city crowned its rebuilt Frauenkirche, (Church of Our Lady), with a gilded orb and cross which came as a gift of reconciliation from Britain. The magnificent 18th century church, where Bach once played its Silbermann organ, was destroyed by Allied fire-bombing on February 13-14, 1945, turning the city of Dresden to ashes.

After WWII, Dresden was in the East German GDR, and although the government did some rebuilding, the central focal point, the Frauenkirche, was left in rubble. The seed of rebuilding was planted after the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall, when five Dresdeners met in Dr. Guenter Voight’s kitchen on Goethe Alley. They decided it was the best moment to speak out for the reconstruction of their beloved church. Professor Hans Joachim Neidhardt, a Dresden art historian, was at that meeting.

“We knew it would be long process; we had to convince a lot of people, institutions and the Saxon Lutheran Church to resolve this matter. The town magisterial committee also had to be convinced and to believe in reconstruction. We asked Dr. Ludwig Guttler, [well-known trumpet virtuoso], if he would speak for the group. He agreed. It was a long process. In 1992 we began to put the stones in order.”

The stones of the massive rubble pile of the Frauenkirche were gathered and sorted mostly by volunteer women of Dresden. Every day they dug through the ancient stones, methodically cataloging the sandstone building blocks for eventual replacement into their special niche within a rebuilt cathedral. From the beginning, it was always to be an exact replica, right down to the re-use of as many old, fire-charred stones as possible, along with incorporation of two small sections of still-standing exterior walls. A massive, $180 million project to rebuild a one-of-a kind Baroque masterpiece began with the humblest labors of love.

Meanwhile, in Britain in 1992, there was a plan to memorialize Air Marshal Arthur Harris, known as “Bomber Harris,” the military planner and architect of the bombing of Dresden. The controversy surrounding the monument erupted in demonstrations in Britain and Germany, where the Queen could not get out of her car during a state visit. It caught the attention of Alan Russell, an Oxford professor who was energized to get involved.

I spoke with Russell who was in Dresden along with 160 British financial supporters of the British Dresden Trust, the organization he founded to promote reconciliation between the two nations. Russell recalls the origins of his interest:

“I thought, if some British people wanted a statue of the chief of the RAF Bomber Command, it would be a good idea to set up a memorial for the 50,000 victims of the attack on Dresden… I heard the call from Dresden in their efforts to rebuild the Frauenkirche. In early 1993, after begging [for support] at Oxford, I started the Dresden Trust.”

Nearly 750,000 Euros of rebuilding support came from the people of Coventry, England whose own magnificent cathedral was destroyed by German bombing. Their gift demonstrated solidarity with the German people who had made a significant donation to the rebuilding of Coventry’s cathedral in the 1950’s. Allen Smith, the British silversmith who forged the Frauenkirche’s new golden orb and cross, is the son of a British pilot who participated in Dresden’s bombing. Smith created a precise replica of the one that graced the church and the skyline for some 200 years.

America shared a role in Dresden’s destruction and, likewise, has actively supported reconstruction through generous gifts from “Friends of Dresden” based in New York. This organization was founded and is led by Nobel Prize winner in medicine, Dr.Guenter Blobel, who began U.S. donations with $1 million in Nobel-prize winnings.

It is 11:30am and from my open window at the Taschenbergpalais Hotel, I hear the sound of trumpets practicing for the celebration scheduled for 4:30. Excitement is in the air as streams of people are already heading toward the Frauenkirche carrying umbrellas. There is not only the rain to be concerned about, but also the wind. We are told that if the wind is too strong, they will not risk lifting the 26-ton orb and cross over 300 feet to its final position.

At 3:55pm I am standing in a dense crowd looking at the towering Frauenkirche and at the cross and golden orb on the pad nearby. A massive crane awaits its task. It will be a long journey to the top. I hear several languages, the trumpets are giving short spurts, and when they pause a single bird sings. I look for the umpteenth time at the incredible structure of the Frauenkirche, designed by Georg Bahr in 1743. Its 314-ft soaring dome has been compared to Michaelangelo’s dome of St Peter’s. The name of today’s architect, Eberhard Burger, a modest man who met the challenge of rebuilding the Frauenkirche exactly as it was, will hold a place of high honor in Dresden’s history. The interior, with its soaring altar and unique, vertical orientation will not be completed until next year. Today, I am looking at an amazing sight -- almost like a beautiful mirage that has risen against all odds. A postcard of how it looked after the bombing is in my notebook. I recall how the Frauenkirche did not fall immediately after the bombing, but shuddered for two days before imploding from the firestorm’s intense heat. The postcard shows the remains of two walls still standing, the rest complete rubble. You can see these walls and the original stones so carefully gathered and woven into the reconstruction. There is a checkerboard affect of old and new.

Fifty-nine years ago Dresden was a scene of man’s inhumanity to man -- now we are among 30,000 people gathered to celebrate the antithesis – man’s ability to reconcile, to rebuild, to learn from history. There is music playing, people laughing and eating cones of ice cream, fathers raise children on their shoulders. The sun is shining, but will it last? There is a dark, threatening cloud overhead. The two gigantic cranes stand ready, one to raise the cross and one to help with precision placement. At the very top of this architectural jewel is a small scaffold with construction workers ready to secure the placement. A media helicopter flies overhead. People congregate on roofs and hang out the windows of the Hilton Hotel, an architecturally-challenged structure that stands too near the cathedral. Other communist-era architectural atrocities are in the immediate area, perhaps serving as testament to another human potential for grayness in juxtaposition to greatness. Fortunately, a number are scheduled for demolition or facelifts.

Then the rain starts, umbrellas are deployed, a breeze is felt the suspense increases. Will they be able to raise the cross, the keynote of the ceremony, or will it be postponed? The crowd waits out the rain.

At 4:30 the bells of the Frauenkirche begin to ring in slow, deep, rich tones -- gradually increasing like birds in flight, gathering momentum, joined by the full regalia of the four bell towers. A trumpet resounds boldly in praise of all that is living. The ceremony has begun as Ludwig Guttler lifts his trumpet to play the “Dresdner Amen” accompanied by the Blechblaserensemble. The young voices of the Dresdner Kreuzchor add joy to the celebration.

Speakers refer to the restoration as symbolic of post WWII reconciliation between Germany and Britain. The Lutheran Bishop of Saxony, Volker Kress, a survivor of the bombing said, “It’s a very moving moment for me to experience this event.” Speaking in German, Britain’s Duke of Kent called the event “a project that joins people who were once enemies in a strong and lasting friendship. The church’s destruction in that inferno that afflicted Dresden in 1945 was a tragedy,” he said. “It’s reconstruction is a great achievement, and it fills me with pride to be able to give a little help.”

The light rain came to an end as the cross was lifted off the ground and carefully, slowly began its high journey home. The crowd broke into applause and tears streamed down cheeks. The sky began to brighten, and just as the cross nestled into its niche, the sun came out, settling on the gold cross. A golden balloon, slipped from some child’s grasp, floated upwards to pass the cross and journey to some place between earth and heaven. The bells of the Frauenkirche pealed in jubilant profusion.

That evening, at an outdoor theatre on the opposite bank of the Elbe river, we watched Dresden films from the 20’s and 30’s presented by local filmmaker Ernst Hirsch. It seemed a fitting tribute to the former glory of a beautiful, noble city, and a preview of the aspirations of a new Dresden that reconciles and rebuilds, not only from WWII destruction, but from the devastating floods of 2003. Above the screen was a crescent moon, and beyond the screen the skyline of Baroque Dresden, reflecting in the Elbe like a fairytale city made of delicate porcelain. The lighted cross again glittered above the Frauenkirche. All was at peace.

A major celebration is planned when the interior of the church is finished and re-christened on October 31, 2005. The rebuilt Frauenkirche will function as a house of God with regular services, as well as a place for cultural exhibitions, concerts, and for quiet meditation. Beyond that, its mission as a peace center will encompass the rebuilding motto emblazened across the site for years: Brucken Bauen -- Versohnung Leben, (Building Bridges -- Living Reconciliation).