Dresden – a city of remembrance and reconciliation

On Wednesday I gave a reading in Dresden, which is an ideal place to read about the Second World War since this city was heavily bombed between 13. and 15. February 1945 by the British and the American airforce, resulting in around 25,000 casualties. 

Among the audience, there was a woman who has experienced the bombing as a three-year-old child on the outskirts of the city but has no memories of it. However, she shared some experiences of her family members with me who fought for their survival in that night and saw other people being pulled into the sky by the firestorm.

In the conversation with the audience afterwards I learned that the bombing is still deeply ingrained in families of Dresden. Another topic which came up was the reconciliation which is one of the main focuses in my work. 

The main symbol of reconciliation in Dresden is the Frauenkirche church, which stayed a ruin until 1993 and was rebuilt until 2005 with the help of fundraising from all over the world. Also British people contributed significantly to the rebuilding.

Another symbol is the town twinning between Dresden and the English city of Coventry which was destroyed in a German bombing raid in 1940. A Cross of Nails which was found in the ruins of Coventry Cathedral is today located in the Frauenkirche.

The traces of the bombing raid in Dresden can still be seen in the city. Some buildings have a patchwork facade with the preserved ruins at the bottom and modern additional structures at the top. Also the Frauenkirche consists of a contrast between dark, war-torn original stones and new bright sandstones. 

Dresden remains a highly sensitive and complex topic to this day. Many aspects are still disputed, and the remembrance lies between the commemoration of the victims and the acknowledgement of German responsibility in a broader historical context. 

A sentence from an exhibition about the rebuilding made me think: “When we remember the destruction of Dresden, we think about that long before the beginning of the Second World War, in Germany first burned the hearts, then the books, then the synagogues and as a result the cities.” This shows how one aspect can lead to another.

Dealing with Dresden reminded me once again of the importance of reconciliation and remembering history in a reflective, honest and differentiated way.