Frauenkirche Dresden

The Frauenkirche stands on the Neumarkt in the heart of Dresden's Altstadt, in Saxony, Germany, and is the city's most recognisable symbol. The Lutheran church was designed by George Bähr and completed in 1743, and its great stone dome, known as the Stone Bell, dominated the skyline for two centuries. The building collapsed after the bombing of February 1945 and lay as a heap of rubble for almost fifty years, until a reconstruction financed largely by donations was completed in 2005. Darker blocks of original sandstone are visible among the lighter new stone on the exterior, a deliberate record of the rebuilding. Inside, visitors find a bright, circular Protestant interior with a pastel-coloured galleried nave, a richly decorated altar and an organ used for regular concerts. A small exhibition area and the crypt are also open to visitors. The main attraction for many is the dome viewing platform, reached by a gently inclined ramp and stairs, which gives a panorama over the Elbe, the Altstadt rooftops and the Zwinger. Allow about one hour for the church and a further 30 to 45 minutes for the dome climb. The best photographs of the exterior are taken from the Neumarkt square, from the steps of the Kunstakademie on the Brühl Terrace side, and from the nearby Jüdenhof. The church is busiest between late morning and mid-afternoon, especially in summer and during the Christmas market, when queues for the dome can be long. Early morning and the hour before closing are the quietest times. The interior is free outside services and concerts, though donations are welcome, and the dome carries a modest charge. Evening organ concerts and services make the acoustics a draw in their own right, and tickets for those are sold through the church's official website. The Neumarkt area is pedestrianised, so the church is easy to combine on foot with the Fürstenzug, the Residenzschloss and the Verkehrsmuseum.