Dresden excursion

This past weekend we went as a group to Dresden. I haven't been to Dresden since 1997, when I was doing research for my senior thesis on the reconstruction of space and buildings in post unification Germany and how it served as a representation of the attempts to construct a new common national identity. When I entered the main square 17 years ago, a good chunk of it was separated off by fencing, and they were cataloging what looked like rubble. In fact, it was the remains of the Frauenkirche, a church that had been destroyed during the fire bombings by the British from in February of 1945. The church was rebuilt between 1994 and 2004, and was reopened to the public in 2005. 

When we entered the downtown area, I started to tear up. What had just been a dream and a pile of rubble 17 years ago, was a significant presence in the Dresden skyline. The Frauenkirche, which I had only seen images of, was there in all its glory. I was somewhat surprised by my reaction, but it was like seeing a wound that had been healed. While the church may it be the most impressive from the inside, it is what it symbolizes that impressed and overwhelmed me. As we listened to the service and the organ concert, I wondered at the patience and perseverance that it took to undertake such a task, and the faith, that must have sustained that community over the course of the 60 years it took to see their church rebuilt.

The rest of hone trip was lovely, but that was a highlight.