The Dresden Frauenkirche is a Lutheran church in Dresden, the capital of the German state of Saxony. Although the original church was Roman Catholic until it became Protestant during the Reformation, the current Baroque building was purposely built Protestant. It is considered an outstanding example of Protestant sacred architecture, featuring one of the largest domes in Europe. Built in the 18th century, the church was destroyed in the bombing of Dresden during World War II. The remaining ruins were left as a war memorial, following decisions of local East German leaders. The church was rebuilt after the reunification of Germany. The reconstruction of its exterior was completed in 2004 and its interior in 2005. The church was reconsecrated on 30 October 2005 with festive services lasting through the Protestant observance of Reformation Day on 31 October. It now also serves as symbol of reconciliation between former warring enemies. The surrounding Neumarkt square with its many valuable baroque buildings is also reconstructed since 2004. The Frauenkirche is often called a cathedral, however it is not the seat of a bishop. The bishop’s church is the Church of the Cross. Once a month, an Anglican Evensong is held in English, by clergy from the St. George’s Anglican Chaplaincy. The original Baroque church was built between 1726 and 1743, and was designed by Dresden’s city architect, George Bähr, who did not live to see the completion of his greatest work. Bähr’s distinctive design for the church captured the new spirit of the Protestant liturgy by placing the altar, pulpit, and baptismal font directly centred in view of the entire congregation. In 1736, famed organ maker Gottfried Silbermann built a three-manual, 43-stop instrument for the church. The organ was dedicated on 25 November and Johann Sebastian Bach gave a recital on the instrument on 1 December. The church’s most distinctive feature was its unconventional 96 m-high dome, called die Steinerne Glocke or “Stone Bell”. read more…
Jena is a university city in central Germany on the river Saale. It has a population of approx. 103,000 and is the second largest city in the federal state of Thuringia, after Erfurt. read more…
The Spreewald (German for “Spree forest”) is situated 100 km south-east of Berlin and designated a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1991. It is known for its traditional irrigation system which consists of more than 200 small channels (called “Fließe”; total length : 1,300 km ) within the 484-square-kilometre (187 sq mi) area. The landscape was shaped during the ice-age. Alder forests on wetlands and pine forests on sandy dry areas are characteristic for the region, however, also grasslands and fields can be found. read more…
Altenburg is a city in Thuringia, located 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of Leipzig, 90 kilometres (56 miles) west of Dresden and 100 kilometres (62 miles) east of Erfurt. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district and part of a polycentric old-industrial textile and metal production region between Gera, Zwickau and Chemnitz with more than 1 million inhabitants, while the city itself has a population of 33,000. read more…
Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (English: Dresden State Art Collections) is a cultural institution in Dresden, owned by the State of Saxony. It is one of the most renowned and oldest museum institutions in the world, originating from the collections of the Saxon electors in the 16th century. The Staatliche Kunstsammlungen has been a state-owned enterprise since January 1, 2009. The association includes twelve museums which operate independently within the context of their own collection, but all share various institutions and facilities as well as a central administration. In 2012 2.5 million visitors visited the museums. read more…
Templin is a small town in the Uckermark district of Brandenburg. Though it has a population of only 17,127, it is with 377.01 km2 (145.56 sq mi) the second largest town in Brandenburg (after Wittstock) and the seventh largest town in Germany by area. The town is located in the south of the rural Uckermark region and its capital Prenzlau, north of the Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve. The town was first mentioned in a 1270 deed issued by Henry of Ostheeren, Bishop of Brandenburg. Then a possession of the Ascanian margraves of Brandenburg, it appeared as a town in 1314 under Margrave Waldemar, who in 1317 concluded the Treaty of Templin here, ending the war against Denmark, Mecklenburg and the Duchy of Pomerania. Heavily devastated by Danish troops in the Thirty Years’ War, Templin from 1816 on belonged to the Prussian province of Brandenburg near the border with Mecklenburg-Strelitz. read more…
Sanssouci is the former summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, in Potsdam, near Berlin. It is often counted among the German rivals of Versailles. While Sanssouci is in the more intimate Rococo style and is far smaller than its French Baroque counterpart, it too is notable for the numerous temples and follies in the park. The palace was designed/built by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff between 1745 and 1747 to fulfill King Frederick’s need for a private residence where he could relax away from the pomp and ceremony of the Berlin court. The palace’s name emphasises this; it is a French phrase (sans souci), which translates as “without concerns”, meaning “without worries” or “carefree”, symbolising that the palace was a place for relaxation rather than a seat of power. read more…