The administrative center of Saxony, the city of Dresden, due to the wealth of its architecture in literature, was called "Florence on the Elbe." Baroque architectural monuments made the city famous throughout the world.
Third on the list of attractions
The Zwinger Palace and Park Complex, Marcolini Palace and the Japanese Palace, the Kreuzkhirche Church - these are not all the legendary sights of Dresden. Frauenkirche (St. Mary's Church) is the brightest of them.
It ranks third in the list of the main unique objects of Dresden and the whole of Germany. The main and largest Lutheran church of the city has an extraordinary and mysterious history dating back to the 11th century, to the time when the Slavic people of the cathedrals lived in Dresden (or the Luzhic people - the West Slavic people, Luga Serbs).
History of occurrence
On the site of the Frauenkirche church (Dresden), long before the founding of the city itself, a small church of the same name existed. A century later, in about 1142, a religious building located in the Romanesque style was located here (in the 15th century a turret was built on). By 1722, it was so dilapidated that it was not subject to reconstruction at all, because of which a decision was made to demolish it. The magnificent cathedral, erected on the vacant place in 1726-1742 and designed for 3, 500 seats, is just one of those Baroque-style architectural monuments for which Dresden is famous.
Frauenkirche is a Lutheran church. It was erected by order of Augustus the Strong (1670-1733), the king of Poland and the Saxon elector (imperial prince). Initially, it was conceived as an object that was supposed to eclipse the Catholic cathedrals, although Augustus I himself was a Catholic.
Main Lutheran Church
The huge but elegant temple after its opening became a symbol of the Reformation (the struggle in Western Europe in the 16th century against Catholicism and papal authority). Frauenkirche (Dresden) was originally transferred to the city Lutheran community of the city. Dresden is indicated in brackets because the church of the same name exists in Munich. We can add that it was in this cathedral that the famous German composer Heinrich Schutz (1585-1672) was buried. After the demolition of the original church, his grave was lost, but in the restored cathedral there is a mention of the burial.
Bright distinguishing feature
The height of St. Mary's Church is 95 meters. It is visible from every corner of the city, it is especially good from the Carolbrucke side (Karola bridge). From this angle, the church is especially stunning with its grandeur.
The famous German architect Georg Behr (1666-1738) managed to create a real masterpiece of baroque art, which Dresden is proud of. The Frauenkirche (church) stands out from all the buildings of the city with its unique huge 12-ton dome (among the buildings constructed entirely of stone, it is the largest in the world), which does not have additional supports inside the building.
Engineering solutions ahead of time
The construction of the dome of the amazing Dresden building, which at that time was a building miracle, was incredibly strong. According to historical evidence, during the Seven Years' War, the artillery of the Prussian King Frederick II fired about 100 shells specifically at the dome, which, due to the structural strength, did not cause the slightest damage to the dome. Only American aircraft, which destroyed almost all of Dresden on February 13, 1945, could destroy it. Frauenkirche also turned into ruins.
In general, on the Neumarkt Square, except for the miraculously surviving monument to Martin Luther, not a single building remained.
Recovery movement
A fiery tornado, the temperature of which reached 1400 degrees, destroyed everything. But the melted parts of the body protected themselves with the amazing altar of the church, he took refuge in a kind of cocoon. Only for this reason were the details of the altar preserved, and they were used in its restoration. Since 1989, a movement of the not indifferent public began under the name "Action-Frauenkirche", which was headed by Ludwig Guttler, a world-famous trumpeter and conductor. They were going to restore the church on donations, and they received $ 100 million from 26 countries. But close to the restoration of this cathedral began only after the reunification of Germany, specifically in 1996.
Only surviving
Restoration by archaeological reconstruction continued until 2005. Today, this object can not be called a new building, if only because during its restoration it was possible to use 43% of the building material of the old building, it was built according to the original, historical drawings. A small wooden bell tower was installed next to the construction site since the start of work. It hung the only surviving bell (of the former four), made in 1732. In general, the history of the bells of this church deserves a separate article.
Beautiful inside and out
The cathedral is lined with sandstone slabs in warm colors. They are mounted similar parts of a burnt building. Ancient slabs are darker and give the building a unique look, and also serve as a reminder of the tragic fate of the cathedral.
The Frauenkirche church in Dresden is famous not only for its external majesty, but also for its rich interior decoration. The light yellow color of the walls creates a festive atmosphere full of air and peace. The height of the inside of the dome is 26 meters. It is divided into eight sectors, decorated with painting and gold. Four of them depict evangelists, and the remaining ones depict allegories of Christian virtues - Faith, Hope, Love and Charity. The altar restored above its original beauty is magnificent, above which is the organ. In the center of the altar is a sculptural painting depicting the prayers of Christ on Good Friday night on Mount of Olives. The entire reconstruction cost the country 180 million euros.
