On February 15, 1945, 15-year 
old Karl-Ludwig Hoch mounted 
his camera behind his 
telescope, perched on the hills 
outside of Dresden. For a 
moment, the smoke of the still 
burning city lifted so that the 
magical Frauenkirche cupola, 
the Stone Bell, and two of its 
four gracious spires came into 
full view, like a mirage. Karl 
clicked the shutter, and 
captured the Frauenkirche in 
its last remaining moments. It 
collapsed shortly thereafter. 
To me, this is an incredibly 
moving picture.
	In these days following 
the events of September 11, so 
much has reminded me of 
Dresden. And the people of 
Dresden have felt an especially 
poignant pain, as they have 
expressed to me their sympathy 
for all that New York and its 
citizens have experienced. I 
feel our mission to help 
rebuild Dresden is as crucial 
as ever. The message displayed 
on the scaffold of the Dresden 
Frauenkirche says it all. In 
very large letters it states:
Bruecken bauen, Versoehnung 
leben. Translated into English: 
Building Bridges, Living 
Reconciliation. The rebuilt 
Frauenkirche will serve as a 
living symbol that peace and 
cooperation can overcome the 
destruction of war.      
Great progress is being made on 
the Frauenkirche. The difficult 
and extremely challenging 
reconstruction of the Stone 
Bell has begun. It will take 
another four years before it is 
completed and before we will be 
able to enjoy this 
architectural masterpiece 
again. Our generosity is more 
needed than ever. There is a 
shortfall of more than $ 30 
million.
On November 9th, the new 
Dresden Synagogue was 
consecrated, exactly 63 years 
after its destruction by the 
Nazis on Kristallnacht.  
Friends of Dresden have been 
actively raising funds for the 
reconstruction. The growing 
Jewish Community of Dresden 
will again have an appropriate 
place for worship. Rather than 
rebuilding the celebrated old 
Semper Synagogue, the Jewish 
Community of Dresden opted for 
a strikingly modern design. I 
saw the interior of the 
Synagogue in June of this year 
and was impressed by its 
monumentality and beauty. I am 
looking forward to seeing the 
entire ensemble in its 
completed form.
  

	

  

The rebuilding of the 
Frauenkirche remains the 
principal activity of Friends 
of Dresden. However, we have 
also become interested in other 
Dresden landmarks under 
reconstruction.
One of these is the Neumarkt 
and the streets surrounding the 
Frauenkirche, once considered 
one of the most splendid 
baroque architectural ensembles 
in Europe. A Dresden citizens 
initiative, Historischer 
Neumarkt (http://www.neumarkt-
dresden.de/) aims at 
reconstructing this area as 
much as possible in its 
original form. Historischer 
Neumarkt opened an educational 
pavilion, which exhibits models 
of former houses and palaces at 
the Neumarkt. This pavilion is 
visited by several hundred 
people daily and serves to 
raise interest for a historical 
reconstruction. The Neumarkt 
will soon become the world’s 
largest historical 
reconstruction project.

To witness the reemergence of 
Dresden as one of Europe’s most 
beautiful cities is inspiring 
and exciting. We thank you all 
for your continuing support.

Günter Blobel