Travel Buddies

Dresden day 2 – Cultural exchange and reconciliation for the future

Our second day in Dresden, we all slept in. We needed the rest! Nezzie had started with a cold, and the days before were quite active for all of us. I had planned Dresden as a more relaxing visit, and that was a good idea.

After emerging from our building, we were walking in the square and saw two Santas on bikes. I asked if I could photograph them. Not only did they agree, but they gave us candy, too!

After saying auf wiedersehen to the Santas, our next experience was touring the Frauenkirche, a Lutheran church that was completely destroyed in WWII. It was a riveting, inspiring visit.

The church was destroyed in WWII, as was most of old town Dresden. The ruins were left untouched for decades. This photo is from the 1960s. By then, Dresden was behind the iron curtain, and the Soviets had no interest in restoring the church.

The rebuilding didn’t start until 1993, after German reunification. The planning and fundraising was an international effort, with most of the support coming from this area.

The work started with sifting through the rubble to use as much of the original church as possible. They also used the architect’s original plans from the early 1700s, when the old church was knocked down and replaced by the Lutheran Frauenkirche.

The darker stones were originals found in the rubble.
Interior of the rebuilt Frauenkirche.
Detail of the altar. The sculpture above the altar shows Jesus praying in the garden. You can see the sleeping disciples around him. The soldiers coming to arrest him are in the background.
This was the original top of the church found in the rubble. Today it is used as a place to write prayers for peace and reconciliation.
The underchurch was restored as well. However, instead of crypts, it is a space for worship, prayer and meditation. Some of the crypt rooms are now meditation spaces. It is whisper silence in there which enhances the feeling of reverence.
This is the altar in the underchurch. The sides are rough-hewn stone. the top is smooth with a dip like a big bowl. Some people weren’t happy with this design, as it seems ambiguous and open to interpretation. That is why I love it.
This is one of the crypt rooms repurposed as a meditation room. The gaping hole symbolizes the deep wounds of war and seeming destruction of faith, but the missing stone is resurrected as the foundation in the floor. So meaningful.

The church renovation was completed in 2005, after 12 years of painstaking work. The Frauenkirche is now part of the community of the cross of nails. It is a worldwide network of more than 200 churches devoted to healing the wounds of war and promoting reconciliation. To represent this, the Frauenkirche altar has a basic cross of nails in the center. Scroll back up to the altar detail photo to see it.

This was a powerful experience for us, and we talked a lot about it on our walk leaving the church.

Our final activity of the day was meeting Mathias, who hosts Columbus runners coming to Dresden as part of its city marathon and half-marathon. Dresden and Columbus are sister cities, a program for fostering cultural exchange.

Mathias joined us for an evening excursion to Striezelmarkt, Germany’s oldest Christmas market dating from the 1400s. It was quite a sacrifice for him, as the weather was blustery, cold and rainy. But Mathias said it was the right weather for Striezelmarkt so visitors could truly enjoy the glühwein and bratwurst.

On our walk to the Striezelmarkt with Mathias, he pointed out this Soviet era mural. This kind of Soviet art promoted the ideals of communism – all workers are needed to make society successful. The woman in the foreground strikes a powerful pose swinging a sickle. She is not defined by traditional feminine roles of a mother, daughter, wife or anything domestic. This was very typical of art from that time.

Just past that was the Striezelmarkt. It was very fun walking around the market with Mathias, hearing about Dresden Christmas traditions.

Mathias and me on the viewing platform above Striezelmarkt. My glasses were quite speckled with rain drops, so I took them off to sort of see where I was going.
Each stall competes with their decorations. Here are two examples that were incredibly detailed.
This life-sized wooden nativity scene was beneath the giant Christmas tree visible in previous photos. You can see the tree trunk in the middle.
These pyramids are a Christmas tradition. Mathias said most families have smaller versions in their houses.
Here are smaller versions people can buy (photo credit – Isaac).
The bigger Christmas markets like Striezelmarkt all have performing stages. The umbrellas attest to the weather, but the place was still packed.

We ended our evening with Mathias over a hearty dinner of tasty potato soup with bacon (a Saxony traditional food) and a bit of dark German beer. Conversation and company were lively.

I’m very grateful for the Dresden Sister City program. I contacted them before leaving Columbus, and they connected us with Mathias. After returning to Columbus, I hope to attend one of the organization’s stammtisch gatherings.

The next post will be our final in Dresden before we celebrate Christmas in Prague.

christineblackomalley

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