Frauenkirche (Dresden)

Why go

The Frauenkirche Dresden Foundation (Stiftung Frauenkirche Dresden) says George Bähr's domed church was built from 1726 to 1743, survived the bombing of the city on 13 February 1945 but collapsed two days later after burning out, and that its ruins stood as a memorial until reconstruction began in 1993. It says the rebuilding, financed by donations from Germany and abroad, was completed in 2005. The foundation calls the Frauenkirche an open church with a congregation by occasion; its visiting times alternate with services, concerts and weddings, and it asks visitors to check times in its calendar. Its dome-ascent page describes a separately ticketed climb by stairs, a spiral ramp and a steep ladder staircase to a viewing platform at 67 metres, and notes that the building differs from current building standards. The foundation says English-language guided gallery tours can be booked online. This record is the Dresden church, not the Frauenkirche in Munich.