ML500 - Dresden's rebuilt "Frauenkirche" +

"Symbol  and  Soul"  of  . .  Dresden,  Germany
FRAUENKIRCHE
( "Church of our Lady" )

In   1743   this was the  tallest  Protestant  Church in  . .  Germany
with  nickname . .  "the  stone  bell"

The night before Valentine's Day  1945  World War II  bombs  targeted  Dresden
Frauenkirche smoldered for 2 days . . and then collapsed.
It's ruined rubble laid there  until  1989   when East and West Germany  RE - united
and the decision was made to completely rebuild it
using as much original material as they could piece together.
The  WORLD  joined the effort financially and it re-opened in . .  2005
a 100 million Euro cost  (90% from abroad)

In front of the church at New Market Square
MARTIN  LUTHER
stands tall
holding  not just any  Bible . . but the  "German" version  . . of the . .  Word of God
which . .  Luther  personally  translated
so that   ➤   "regular" people  could  wrestle  with  its  truth  . .   directly
➤   ( basically what the   Protestant  Reformation   was all about )

Luther used the native Saxon dialect of German
(now considered "High German")
Its popularity
made him more than the Great Reformer
He is considered the  . .  "father of " the modern German "LANGUAGE"

Under the large and small Domes . . inside  Frauenkirche
SEATING  is layered  high up
even  BOX SEATING    (reconstructed to match the original )  for big donors
(reminds us of opera houses)
Color scheme throughout is  "pastel" soft and sort of  . .  luscious

There's a lot to study in the Chancel and Altar area

FIND . . 

The  EYE  of Providence 

representing the all-seeing eye of God
knowing  .   keeping watch over  .   protecting

surrounded by the  ..  Triangle (Trinity)

representing  ..  God the Father  .  God the Son  .  God the Holy Spirit

(Matthew 6:22 . . "the  EYE  is the  'light'  to the body")

On the far left:
MOSES   (with the  ..  10 Commandment tablets of stone)
and   ST.  PAUL   (with the  ..  SWORD  of Truth) 

In the Center
JESUS  ..  praying in the Garden of Gethsemane ..  after the Last Supper
..  the night before His Crucifixion

On the far right:
PHILIP  the  ..  disciple   and   AARON   (Moses  ..  brother and spokesman)

On the Altar
A   CROSS  ..  made of  bomb - blackened  "NAILS"
found in the rubble of ruins

Between the Altar  (with focal - point  "Christ")
and  the assembled Congregation of  "followers"
is the  PULPIT
Luther emphasized that
GOD'S  WORD
( no one else's )
is  not  "a"  piece  of  ..  but   "THE  PIECE"   of the  PUZZLE   that  MATTERS
front  . .  center
☛  ( not   Pope  .  Priest  .  Mary  .  Saints  .  Tradition  .  Customs  .  Kings  .  Politics  etc)

Like  a  "round"  table
worshippers  sit  in  a  circle
emphasizing that God  loves  .  created  .  died for  . .  ALL
He  doesn't   RANK   His  Created
It's  one  of  the  most  beautiful  things  about  Communion
as  people  file  by .  one  after  the  other  .  "just  as  they  are"  .  "HIS  own"  .

We were here in 2015  ..  briefly.     Had to return and take a second look

The former cross  .  charred and twisted  .  fell 300 feet in 1945 and was buried.
Uncovered in 1993 . . it now stands where it was found.
The "Brits" in year 2000  ..  on the 55th Anniversary of the '45 bombing
gifted  Frauenkirche with a replica of the original  ..  now crowning this new church!
✦   It was made by an English coppersmith whose  ..  father had dropped bombs
on that church  ..  that February night in 1945

Visitors light votives at this spot and
write prayers and wishes for  . .  PEACE  . .  in the Guest Book

Downstairs is a very large maze of  rooms  in the  ..  CRYPT
There is  history  of the  ..  building and the  ..  bombing
and a simple  chapel  under a vaulted ceiling
Stairwell  plaques  name  donors  who made this  RE-build project  possible

A long  ..  "promenade"  along the  ..  Elbe River
was once a defensive wall barrier protecting Dresden from invaders.
Now  it's  a  public  park  with many  .  linden trees  .  benches  .  eateries
During the  Communist  years it was called  ..  " The  Valley  of  the  Clueless " 
(with little info about the  ..  non - Communist world)
Now it's sometimes referred to as  another  ..  " Balcony  of  Europe "
or even as  ..  " The  Florence  on  the  Elbe "

Looking up the Promenade the other direction  . .
we decide to cross this . .  1893  bridge . .  ( untouched  by  WWII  bombs )
that  connected  some of  Europe's  most  expensive  pieces  of  real estate

Since   1736    AUGUSTUS  the  STRONG   --  the  Golden Rider  --
has faced  ..   POLAND  ..  to the East   ( ..  a former 'possession')
and  trade routes  with   ..   Kiev, RUSSIA
This  "other"  side  of the river  has many 
"reminders  of  communist "  German  Democratic  Republic  ..   DDR)

Communist  construction  is noticeably  ..   wide  .  bulky  .  square  .  lacking 'artwork' 

Heading back to  Frauenkirche's  side
we try to ignore the busy construction on the bridge
so we can envision a community finding ways to enhance
the  riverside assets  just waiting to be made  ..  purpose - filled  and pleasant

This just scratches Dresden's 'surface'
It's  an  impressive  city.

With that we have to sign off and prepare for another "PEEK" into another  "PLACE"

Let's see what  ..  TORGAU  ..  offered to the history books.

We haven't shown you any photos about our time in  LEIPZIG  yet.
Will try to remember to add some of that crossroads city.

We need a secretary and a staff of historian helpers to travel with us !!

On  we  go  ..

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