Between Heaven and Earth

Let your gaze wander from one of the most beautiful viewing platforms in Dresden.
Even the ascent is an adventure full of discovery.

Climb the Dome to the Viewing Platform

The stone dome of the Frauenkirche soars seemingly weightless over its square floor plan, even though it actually weighs over 12,000 tons. The special shape of the dome is not only the reason for the nickname of the Frauenkirche (the »Stone Bell«) but also makes this church one of the most prominent stone dome buildings north of the Alps.

Above the dome, the soaring lantern houses the viewing platform. At a height of 67 meters, visitors can enjoy the unique view over the city of Dresden and its surroundings. Depending on the weather, the view extends as far as the Dresdner Heide in the north, the Elbe Sandstone Mountains in the east, the Ore Mountains in the south or as far as Meißen in the west.

Even the ascent to the platform is an experience. In stair tower G, 174 steps lead up to a height of 29 meters. The effort is definitely worth it: Thanks to large glass windows, guests can look down into the church interior and up to the paintings of the inner dome. The path continues over narrow stairs to the so-called spiral ramp, a continuously ascending spiral corridor. On it, the guests circle the outer dome two and a half times. This section is strenuous: after all, the path, which was previously used as a »donkey path« and is named accordingly, has a gradient of 14 percent. Two more flights of stairs – one of them in the form of a steep ladder staircase – take visitors to the 67-meter-high viewing platform. There you have a unique view of Dresden and the surrounding area.