Delight.

On 15 February 1945, two days after the notorious Allied bombardment of Dresden, the burnt-out dome of the city's famous Frauenkirche finally collapsed. Of all the wartime destruction wrought on Europe's cities, the loss of the Frauenkirche, the jewel in the crown of Germany's 'Florence on the Elbe', was especially painful. Completed in 1738, it was one of the great masterpieces of Baroque church architecture, its bell-shaped stone dome dominating Dresden's skyline. Though built as a Protestant cathedral, August the Strong, Saxony's king at the time, was a Catholic convert, making the Frauenkirche a powerful symbol of social and religious tolerance.

After the war, popular sentiment contrived to discourage the East German Communist authorities from clearing away the Frauenkirche's ruins and its blackened stones lay untouched for decades. Over time, the melancholy site became a focus for popular protests and in 1982, on the anniversary of the bombing, Dresdeners assembled in the ruins, a gathering that catalysed the emerging East German civil rights movement. Following the collapse of Communism, a group of dedicated citizens founded an initiative for reconstruction that has finally culminated in a rebuilt and reborn Frauenkirche.

The restored building replicates the eighteenth-century masterpiece as faithfully as possible and incorporates nearly 8000 stones salvaged from the rubble. Using a computer imaging program, the blackened stones were set back in their original places, an act of historical veracity that explains the new building's speckled appearance.

In February 2005, on the 60th anniversary of the bombing, the cycle of destruction and rebuilding reached a symbolic climax. A cross made by Alan Smith from medieval nails recovered from the ruins of Coventry Cathedral, another significant wartime casualty, was presented to the Lutheran Bishop of Saxony. Coventry is twinned with Dresden and Smith was one of the British craftsmen who recreated the golden orb and cross that crown the rebuilt Frauenkirche. His involvement had particular resonance, since his father was part of the RAF command that carried out the aerial attack on the city. This year, Dresden celebrates its 800th anniversary with the Frauenkirche at its heart once again. C. S.

Photograph: Reinhard Goerner/artur