Amadeus Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 In the news today: Dresden, Germany - Over 60 years after it was destroyed by Allied bombing, Dresden's Frauenkirche was reconsecrated Sunday in services attended by dignitaries from around the world. Once a symbol of the ravages of war, the baroque sandstone Church of Our Lady, which towers above the centre of the eastern German city, has been rebuilt over the last 11 years to become a symbol of reconciliation. About 850 of the donors who contributed a total of 100 million euros (120 million dollars) for the reconstruction of the church were among those allotted seats for the ceremonies. The Duke of Kent led a British delegation to the service. He is also patron of the Dresden Trust, which raised 1.5 million euros for the rebuilding of the church. Some 100,000 crowded into the streets surrounding the church under cloudless blue skies and brilliant autumn sunshine to watch the service on giant screens. As a mark of the significance the church's rebuilding, its re- opening was televised nationwide on Germany's two public channels. The reconstruction of this church is a pretty amazing story - as mentioned above, it was completely destroyed in WWII and looked a bit like this: Then people started collecting donations and builders/architects and restauration specialists began to work out how to reconstruct this 91,23 meters high, 50 meters wide building, weighing in at around 60.000 tons. 8425 bricks and pieces from the old church (around 40% of the building) were recovered from the rubble, measured, numbered and fed into a computer, which allocated up to 170 different attributes to every piece - how it looks, where it could have been in the original, etc.. They even ran computer simulations of the demolition, to work out where some of the pieces would have ended up on the ground, so they could be returned to their original position. Then they did a bit of building work: And now, a bit more than a decade later, it looks as good as new: It was paid for by donations from around the world and I just think it looks amazing - who said, good news aren't worth reporting these days? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rog Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 Very impressive (saw it on TV this am) but can't help but think the cash could have been better spent though. Still, that's just me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
girl89 Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 I also saw it on television this morning. Amazing building! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the-rhymes Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 I'm glad that this church has been rebuilt. I hope it remains a symbol of anti-fascism and I pray it will help heal some of the wounds left by the carpet bombing of Dresden by the Allies. Any attempt of reconciliation is worth the money, what price can you put on freedom, love and peace? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonan3 Posted October 31, 2005 Share Posted October 31, 2005 There was a large article about this in the Independent on Saturday. http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article323480.ece It certainly is as impressive a story as it is a building. Like Rog, however, I tend to wonder whether what has been spent on a religious icon of this kind really represents value for money - but I tend to have a similar feeling of despair whenever I visit one of the great cathedrals of the world and think of the investments that were made in such magnificence even when ordinary people were starving and neglected. If, however, it proves inspirational, and becomes a symbol of renewal emerging from a particularly bleak period of the recent past, I suppose there is justification for it - and if the alternative was an ugly monument to current gods of commercialism then it is probably to be applauded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the-rhymes Posted October 31, 2005 Share Posted October 31, 2005 When I first visited the Trafford Centre it reminded me of a cathedral, in a very tacky commercial way. I suppose it is a cathedral to commercialism. I have to say that I am a fan of old churches, I always feel a bit emotional when I'm inside them. I'm not particularly religious, but I do think that they inspire deep thought. That said I can get much the same feeling walking though a forest or in the countryside. I sound like a tree hugger now... I sure the money could have been better spent but I doubt that it would have been! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natalie Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 Very impressive (saw it on TV this am) but can't help but think the cash could have been better spent though. Still, that's just me. It's not only you! Just what I think as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Survivor Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 what's wrong with spending some money on trying to keep a hold of some, quite frankly, beautiful history? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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