Dresden Frauenkirche
The Frauenkirche is the great Baroque church of Dresden, famous as much for its destruction and rebirth as for its architecture. Designed by George Bähr and completed in 1743, its remarkable bell-shaped sandstone dome, nicknamed "die Steinerne Glocke" (the Stone Bell), dominated the city's celebrated skyline and was an engineering marvel of its age.
During the Allied firebombing of Dresden in February 1945 the church withstood the initial assault but collapsed two days later as the heat-weakened sandstone gave way. For nearly half a century the East German authorities left the blackened heap of rubble in place as a war memorial. After German reunification a citizens' movement, supported by donors around the world, undertook a meticulous reconstruction between 1994 and 2005, fitting thousands of salvaged original stones back into the new structure like a giant jigsaw, their dark patches still visible against the pale new sandstone.
The rebuilt Frauenkirche reopened in 2005 as a powerful emblem of reconciliation and peace, its golden cross a gift forged in Britain by the son of a wartime bomber pilot. Today it draws well over a million visitors a year to admire its luminous interior and climb to the dome's viewing platform.
- Annual visitors
- ≈ 1,800,000
- Location
- 51.0519, 13.7417
- Local time
- 00:36 (Europe/Berlin)
🕘 Visiting hours
| Mon–Sat | 13:00–17:30 |
| Sun | 12:30–16:30 |
Widest single afternoon window; weekdays also have a 10:00-11:30 morning slot. Times change frequently for services/concerts; approximate, check the event calendar.
✨ Saints & blessed venerated here
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The Virgin Mary (St Mary) Saint
Patron; the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) is dedicated to her.
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Saint Matthew Saint
Evangelist depicted in the inner dome paintings.
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Saint Mark Saint
Evangelist depicted in the inner dome paintings.
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Saint Luke Saint
Evangelist depicted in the inner dome paintings.
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Saint John Saint
Evangelist depicted in the inner dome paintings.
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Saint Paul the Apostle Saint
Figure on Feige's baroque altar, shown with sword and book.
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Saint Philip the Apostle Saint
Figure on Feige's altar, shown with the cross.
Care & donations
Stiftung Frauenkirche Dresden
Supported by the Stiftung Frauenkirche and the Friends of the Frauenkirche; donations welcomed
Official website →The candle wall
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