Manufacturing the falsework to support structural parts proved a particular challenge for the masters and carpenters. The heap of ruins was conserved as a war memorial within the inner city of Dresden, as a direct counterpart to the ruins of Coventry Cathedral, which was destroyed by German bombing in 1940 and also serves as a war memorial in the United Kingdom. Sanitary fitters were installing supply and return lines for toilet and kitchen areas and fire extinguishing equipment. The installation of a new canopy was the prerequisite for the construction of the lantern which began on September 1 and reached a height of 77.20 m by Christmas. A construction was thus developed which could be raised hydraulically. The steep climb is rewarded with panoramic views over Dresden. Though small in scale compared to other cities developed at the same time, Dresden is a good blend of density with ambience and quality. In 1993, photogrammetric pictures were taken of the ruin to reconstruct the spatiality and three-dimensional shape of the Frauenkirche. When the piers had reached a height of 21.40 m, work began on the arches between the piers and the arches to the spar-type frames. The inner cupola was lit by large windows which brought filtered light into the interior. The massive base was largely kept without ornamentation, forming an elegant and elaborate dome heightened by a slim obelisk, creating a slender but grand view of the church. The history of Dresden's Frauenkirche A unique dome. February 1 was a first highlight. Stone blocks are now either blast in a controlled way or cut using a high-pressure water jet. Custom-developed computer programs were used for permanent surveying. The masonry of the structure was required to protect from the elements and prevent moisture from penetrating the inside of the building during a long, low-maintenance life time. There was not a single example for lifting such a frail structure as the canopy. Work then began on rebuilding a section of the south-east wall between the choir and entrance A. In 1722 George Baehr, municipal building contractor and architect of the city, started on plans for a new building to replace the small Gothic church, the oldest parish church in the city. Between May and September, the master organ builder Kern from Straßburg installed and intoned the large organ. Exposed wall surfaces that had been heavily damaged by the fire were repaired. The inner cupola rested on these wide arcades. The shapes that had to be produced were often very complex and featured multiple curves. Continuous variance comparison ensured the necessary precision and avoided extraordinary tensions in the structure. Another essential task was the reconstruction of the historic basements. During the last months of World War II, residents expressed the desire to rebuild the church. In the 18th century, the famous dome structure by George Bähr was built and dominated Dresden’s cityscape for 200 years. The Dresden Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) is considered an outstanding example of Protestant sacred architecture, featuring one of the largest domes in Europe. An overhead travelling crane with trolley proved to be a good alternative. Already its predecessor churches were dedicated to the Mother of God and called Frauenkirche. The consecration attracted attention throughout the world. A canopy had been built as protection against sun and rain. The construction of the inner piers that began on 15th July 1997 was also one of the most outstanding pieces of work. It has so many stories to tell and tries to encourage people – day by day. Dresden's Frauenkirche … The population of the city at the time of the bombing was greater than 650,000. Another highlight of the reconstruction was the completion of the filigree wood carvings and the colourful decoration of the organ gallery and organ front in the inner church room. A cassette was placed behind the first stone to be laid - an old stone as the bottom stone of the right doorjamb at entrance A. This technique was also employed in a different way for the reconstruction of the dome geometry, where historic photos were used due to the lack of old plans. Built in the 18th century, the church was destroyed in the bombing of Dresden during World War II. However, this was done not only horizontally but also vertically. A so-called altitude point network was defined in the vertical so that invariable altitude points could also be defined. Following the concentration on stone work over the past years, attention now turned to the artistic decoration of the interior. Pier F and the adjoining parapet elements of the gallery were decorated by different companies. Each find was marked and numbered before being carefully taken away. The penetrating water thus had to be diverted into ducts covered by plates on the main cornice in future. Around 60,000 people on the spot and 8 million viewers in front of their TV’s witnessed and celebrated the occasion. The height of the layers, joint covers and geometrical form of the stone had to harmonise. The laggings for the arches which the carpenters created were true works of art. Due to the fate of the destruction and the successful reconstruction, the Dresden Frauenkirche has become a symbol of tolerance and peace worldwide. A 3D graphic model was made to analyze the movement of the collapse of the stones and their present place in the rubble. The nave, inner dome, first part of the tambour cylinder, dome batter and lower part of the staircase turrets could be rebuilt with the canopy in this position. The first stage of construction lot 4 began with scaffolding and carpentry work. All of the building work had to be completed and all technical installations adjusted and tested by this date. The keystone of the main vault could be positioned on 23rd May 1996. These openings, necessary for natural light to enter the church, detrimentally influence the otherwise perfect load transfer of the dome. The reconstruction of the Frauenkirche is an impressive symbol of international reconciliation after World War II. Special solutions which always required a proof of stability repeatedly had to be developed for both types of scaffolding due to the scale of the building project. The outer wall had now reached a height of approximately 28.3 m. The masonry back-up was laid in all sections up to the same height. The unusual shape of the dome has always aroused fascination and admiration; it has neither predecessors nor successors. During the night of 13-14 February, British Royal Air Forces dropped 1478 tons of high explosives and 1182 tons of incendiary bombs on the first bombing run and 800 tons of bombs on the … No planes were parallel and there were no right angles here. Furthermore, the connection between the gallery girders and the masonry was improved. The viewing platform in the lantern was ready and opened to the public. Furthermore, a damp course was installed. The quarry and the church to be built were both located near the river Elbe and it stood to reason that this means of transport be used. The inner dome with its circular 6 m opening was thereby completed as the connection between church room and main dome room. Work began on clearing and sifting through the rubble according to archaeological principles on 4th January 1993 with the intention of using as many original stones as possible to rebuild the Frauenkirche. Only then it was possible to continue with the normal bond. The Frauenkirche collapsed on 15 February 1945, two days after the devastating bombing of Dresden, the history of the church building, which was completed in 1743 by Baroque architect George Bähr, seemed to have come to an end. This work could only be carried out after the projecting arches above the oval windows behind the triangular gables had been finished. George Baehr had intuitively recognized the load transfer problem and had planned to mount ring beams inside the stone base of the dome. A roofed drawing floor was mounted in front of the west side where the lagging for the arches between the piers was assembled. The work on the destroyed altar could also be finished after years of discussions on the ‘right’ solution. The initial work also included site studies and surveys where the rubble site was photographically documented meter by meter. The Frauenkirche's precise building plot had to be defined in the same way as each building owner stakes out the area where their building will be erected. The reconstruction of selected architectural monuments was also forced ahead from the very beginning: the reconstruction of the Zwinger was completed in 1964. These allowed three-dimensional representations: all structural parts could thus be mapped spatially and their positions in the structure could be predefined and subsequently checked. Dresden’s Frauenkirche church was destroyed by bombing and fire at the end of the war in 1945. The reconstruction took place using only period photographs because no plans have been preserved. But no matter how indispensable the computer was as a working tool, it could not replace the creativity of the architects and engineers. On 20th February 1992, the Dresden city council consented to the rebuilding of the Frauenkirche. The stone construction reached a height of approximately 51 m at the end of the year. As a result, the rebuilding of the Frauenkirche closely followed the traditional and meticulously reconstructed bearing structures, but corrected former shortcomings in a number of places. Documentation in the form of audio tapes can still be found with original pieces of music from this organ. The groundwater rose steadily and also penetrated the Lower Church. After restoration, this big part 35 was lifted on top of the staircase tower G on 10th August 2001. After the stone work on the inner and outer shell and spiral ramp had been finished and the last ties placed in position, the keystone of the compression ring could be laid at a height of 60 m on May 23, 2003. Joiners were building the parapets of the galleries in an unparalleled quality and installing noise-insulation shutters in front of the spire chamber windows. Each of the eight slender piers has to carry a load of approximately 1,800 t. Great demands were thus placed on the material, manufacture and assembly. Skip to language selection (Press Enter). Restorers were working on the altar. This was a real challenge, not least due to the baroque architecture with its multiple curved surfaces. The building did not grow as fast in this and the next year since the amounts of sandstone in cubic meters increased per running metre and complicated laggings had to carry the newly-placed arches and vaults. The preservation committee in Dresden placed the site under historic protection in 1966. This is a very new method and a step forward for technology in the process of reconstruction. The canopy was raised for the first time from its initial height of 12.50 m to 23 m in August 1997. Unlike 200 years ago, when the broken stones were mostly hewn on site, the raw material nowadays is processed in workshops and delivered in prefabricated blocks by overland routes only.