I love Dresden and, reading about the weekly photo challenge, reminded me of this beautiful city, the “Florence on the Elbe”, the capital of the state of Saxony.
The Fürstenzug (Procession of Princes) is a large mural of a mounted procession of the rulers of Saxony belonging to the Wettin dynasty. Originally painted between 1871 and 1876, it was then replaced by 23000 Meissen porcelain tiles in 1904-1907 to make it the largest porcelain artwork in the world. (July 2012).
The Fürstenzug (or the “Procession of Princes”) is the largest porcelain artwork in the world (about 102 metres in length) and it displays the ancestral portraits of the 35 margraves, electors, dukes and kings of the House of Wettin between 1127 and 1904. Luckily it suffered only minimal damage in the Feb. 1945 bombing of Dresden by the Allies in WWII and the resulting firestorm in the city – the seventieth anniversary of this event was observed last month.
The Fürstenzug is about 102 metres in length and displays the ancestral portraits of the 35 margraves, electors, dukes and kings of the House of Wettin between 1127 and 1904. The dome of the famous Frauenkirche is seen in the background. (July 2012)
The Frauenkirche, another famous monument in the city, however, was not that lucky. Left as a ruin by the former East German government in memory of the great war, it was rebuilt after the reunification of Germany. The new golden tower cross, funded officially by “the British people and the House of Windsor”, was made by a British blacksmith, whose father was one of the pilots from the 1945 bombing raid.
The Frauenkirche in Dresden – destroyed in WWII bombing of the city, the remaining ruins were left as a war memorial, following decisions of local East German leaders. The church was rebuilt after the reunification of Germany. (July 2012)
A piece of the destroyed dome of the Frauenkirche is kept in the square as a memorial. (July 2012)
The picture on it indicates where this piece fit on the original dome. (July 2012)
Related Posts: Weekly Photo Challenge: Wall
Categories: Architecture, Art & Sculptures, Art, Music & Literature, Germany, Travel
What an impressive mural! Beautifully captured Paritosh!
The mural is impressive and these old photos don’t do enough justice … someday I may return and try it again. But its one of the most impressive works I have seen so far … and Dresden is beautiful. You’d love it, methinks… architecturally, I mean.. 🙂