Dresden

 

We have been traveling in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) - we grew up knowing it as East Germany - since leaving Nuremberg. Reunification took place 1989-1990 and it is quite amazing to see what has happened in a little over 20 years. The rebuilding of Dresden is especially striking and we were lucky enough to take a walking tour with a guide with first-hand knowledge since sgangs a Dresden native and lived her first 12 years under GDR rule. Dresden was about 90% destroyed during WWII bombing raids in 1945. Some of the facades survived but the roofs (wood structures covered in copper) were the first to burn and melt, and the interiors also burned.

This is a picture taken after WWII of the ruins of the Frauenkirche - the largest sandstone-domed church in the world. The GDR left the rubble as a war memorial but after reunification rebuilding took place. The new church opened in 2005.

 

There was some rebuilding under GDR but a lot of the major historical buildings were left in ruins. The GDR also destroyed some historical buildings that had survived the war. Since reunification the city has been almost completely rebuilt. They used original materials where possible and you can see a combination of old, darkened sandstone next to new sandstone.

The buildings around the Frauenkirche were rebuilt with modern buildings behind host Orin facades. The church steeple on the right is all that remains of an old church that survived the war but was destroyed by the GDR. Our guide shared the strong feelings of many residents - lots of bitterness about what the Russians did in their time there. Evidently Vladimir Putin was head of the KGB in Dresden for 20 years; our guide says that's why he speaks German with a Saxon accent.

More examples of Dresden's past - rebuilt: two different parts of the Zwinger built by Augustus the Strong for the occasion of his son's wedding. The clock chimes are made of porcelain made close to Dresden.

The Semperoper (the opera house named for its famous architect) was rebuilt by the GDR and reopened in 1985. The wall on the right pictures the reign of the ruling family in Saxony - for over 700 years until 1918 - all done in porcelain. It survived the bombing because it was covered.

The wave on the bridge crossing the Elbe River shows the high water mark of the 2002 flood. Amidst all this amazing history, Dresden is full of modern buildings - some behind historic facades but others not.