The restored Dresden Cathedral Frauenkirche has been consecrated

DRESDEN - Sixty years after the destruction of the Dresden church Frauenkirche during World War II, the completion of its reconstruction was today confirmed by a ceremonial consecration. One of the architectural symbols of Dresden, which literally rose from the ashes, welcomed many honored guests from around the world at today’s celebration.
The service, in which Saxon Bishop Jochen Bohl handed over the late Baroque masterpiece for use by the Evangelical Church, was attended by around 1700 guests. Thanks to a live television broadcast, an estimated 60,000 people watched the ceremony on giant screens set up in the square in front of the church.
The ceremony was also attended by President Horst Köhler, acting Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (SPD), his designated successor Angela Merkel (CDU), and ambassadors from the victorious powers of World War II. The British royal court sent the Duke of Kent.
Frauenkirche, also known as the Church of Our Lady, was built between 1726-1743. After the bombing of Dresden by British and American air forces in February 1945, it lay in ruins.
Hope for its restoration was rekindled after the fall of communism in the former GDR. A year later, the rubble was cleared from the church ruins, and in 1994 new construction began. Approximately 600,000 donors from around the world contributed about 100 million euros (around three billion crowns) to the project. In total, the reconstruction cost 179.7 million euros (about 5.4 billion crowns).
Bishop Bohl described the church in his sermon as "a work of reconciliation and a reminder of peace." "Everyone should hear this message. It will resonate in the world urgently and in radiant beauty," he stated. "Even a deep and long-bleeding wound can heal over time," he emphasized.