A Baroque Beauty Rebuilt

More than a year ago, on June 22, 2004, the church received its copper roof, completing the building after a decade of construction. The black stones that are visible are those that survived the destruction in Feb. 1945.

While the church's consecration isn't taking place until Oct. 30, visitors have been allowed inside the building for several years. They are also already enjoying the view from the platform atop the dome, from where they can look down on the golden angel that "flies" above Dresden's Academy of Fine Arts.

After destruction in 1945, the Frauenkirche remained a ruin for half a century. East German officials had decided to keep it as an anti-war memorial.

While the church is nearing completion, the square around it will remain a construction site for longer as one of the biggest projects to recreate an entire city quarter is under way.

Donations from Britain paid for the church's new top cross, which was created by London goldsmiths. The gift was meant as a symbol of reconciliation after British bombs destroyed the church in Feb. 1945.

The church's interior decoration was originally handled by Venetian painter Giovannie Battista Grone, who chose pink as the dominating color for the Frauenkirche's dome. Dresden's Christoph Wetzel, who re-created the frescoes, mixed thousands of eggs into the paint to achieve the same effect.

As the church's dome resembles a giant bell, Dresdeners nicknamed the building "stone bell."

While pictures of the Frauenkirche before the war show a black building, the original church was also sand-colored before it darkened because of natural discoloring.

Dresden's old city center is now complete again with the Frauenkirche's dome (left)