People attend an outdoor mass in front of the
Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in Dresden
Date : 30 October 2005 2312 hrs (SST)
DRESDEN, Germany : Sixty years after it was destroyed by Allied
bombs in World War II, Dresden's rebuilt Frauenkirche, or Church of
Our Lady, was re-consecrated.
The painstakingly restored baroque church and its spectacular dome,
originally built in 1743, is a symbol both of the wartime suffering
of German civilians and of reconciliation between former
enemies.
The service of consecration was the culmination of an 11-year, 180
million euro (218 million dollar) project that saw the church
reborn after lying in ruins for almost half a century.
The Dresden Bishop Jochen Bohl said in a sermon: "A deep wound that
has bled for so long can be healed. From hate and evil a community
of reconciliation can grow, which makes peace possible."
At least 35,000 people perished in the British and US bombing of
the eastern city on February 13-14, 1945, less than three months
before the end of the war.
The Protestant church was hit and finally collapsed two days after
the first wave of bombing.
Throughout the communist era of East Germany, the remains were left
where they had fallen as a ghostly reminder of the Allied
attack.
Only when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 were plans made to raise the
Frauenkirche from the rubble and reconstruction began in
1994.
The consecration was an emotional moment for Katarina Koenig, 78,
who recalled seeing the "sky lit up red" the night the bombers
came.
"I was working in what we called civilian service in a small town
outside Dresden, but when I heard about the attacks I rushed home.
From my village you could see smoke rising from the city for days,"
she said.
"In communist times, we never believed we would see the
Frauenkirche again."
Although two-thirds of the funding for the reconstruction came from
donations, German President Horst Koehler acknowledged in his
speech that there was considerable opposition in the immediate
post-reunification period to committing any state funds to the
Frauenkirche project.
"Did eastern Germany not need roads, roofs and factories more than
an expensive church? But a group of residents said Dresden needed
more. And now we can see that those people were right," Koehler
said.
Lifelong Dresden resident Herbert Rummel, 67, one of the 60,000
people watching the service on giant TV screens outside the church,
said the Frauenkirche's worth could not be measured only in
financial terms.
"I was not near the church on the night of the bombings, but many
people had taken shelter nearby. They were never seen again," he
said.
"So to see the church back to its former glory is important to me
in so many ways. And it fills me with joy to know that so many
countries donated to the reconstruction."
The Duke of Kent, who spearheaded a British campaign to raise 1.5
million euros, represented the royal family at the service.
And Queen Elizabeth II had sent Koehler a letter expressing her
happiness at the church's rebirth.
In a symbolic gesture, Britain, which sent the first wave of
bombers to level the city, donated the golden cross and orb that
sits atop the dome.
Outgoing German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Angela Merkel, the
conservative leader who will succeed him, were among the 1,700
people who attended the consecration service.
The rebuilding project has involved more than 200 specialist
builders and craftsmen.
The only original wall left standing after the bombing has been
incorporated into the rebuilt structure, although it has been left
blackened in stark contrast to the honey-coloured sandstone around
it.
The Frauenkirche has regained its place as the jewel in the crown
of the city once dubbed "Florence on the Elbe" for its artistic
riches.
The trustees of the church say they hope it will also become a
beacon in the fight against far-right extremism, which is gaining a
foothold among unemployed, disaffected youths in eastern
Germany.
- AFP /ct