Thousands of people gathered in the east German city of Dresden to
see Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) re-consecrated, 60 years
after it was destroyed by Allied forces.
The baroque church was reduced to rubble when Allied bombers struck
the city in February 1945. The city burned for a week after the
raid and at least 35,000 people died.
What remained of the crumbling walls were left to stand by East
Germany's communist authorities to serve as a reminder of the World
War II damage.
The 180 million euro reconstruction took 10 years to recreate the
church as it stood in this 1930 photo.
As crowds gathered outside for the re-consecration ceremony, 1,800
guests from Germany and around the world were also examining the
ornately decorated interior.
A reminder of the war and destruction, a piece of debris retrieved
from the rubble is displayed in the re-opened church.
The sandstone dome of the reconstructed Frauenkirche dominates the
Dresden skyline, near the Academy of Fine Arts (left).