At the heart of the city the Frauenkirche is a symbol reminding us to remember the true story and to live in reconciliation. On 13 February 1945 Allied bombers destroyed the entire city centre. Two days later the burnt-out Frauenkirche collapsed.

Today, the rebuilt place of worship is a symbol both of the terror of war and of overcoming that terror. Every year on 13 February people gather in front of and inside the Frauenkirche to commemorate the destruction of Dresden. In 2008 Dr Christof Ziemer, an honorary citizen of Dresden and a former Protestant superintendant, held a moving commemorative speech on Neumarkt square. In the two years since, the former federal ministers Dr Hans-Jochen Vogel and Gerhart Baum have called for peaceful co-existence and adjured listeners to treat the day with respect. Every year, lighting is used to project the image of a burning candle onto the exterior of the Frauenkirche, and the cross on the tower is lit up. The candle-light is a ray of hope and can be found in various spots in and around the Frauenkirche on 13 February, conveying its message of peace on earth. The Society to Support the Frauenkirche, Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Frauenkirche Dresden, gives everyone the opportunity to light candles on Neumarkt market in the afternoon and spend a moment in silent commemoration. In the late evening visitors are invited to the candle-lit “Night of Silence” in the Frauenkirche, with music and short, thought-provoking texts on the subject of Peace.

In 2010, on the 65^th anniversary of Dresden’s destruction, the artist Einhart Grotegut set up an exhibition in the Frauenkirche visitors’ centre displaying people’s personal memories of the night of 13 February 1945. Everyday items dug up in Dresden’s building sites bore witness to the wounds left behind by the firestorm in Dresden.

Every year, thousands of people from Dresden come to the Frauenkirche to remember what happened and call upon people to live together peacefully in a spirit of reconciliation. To find out about events this year, take a look in our events calendar.