Frauenkirche cathedral in Dresden

For centuries, the Frauenkirche cathedral was the definitive landmark of Dresden’s cityscape—until it was destroyed during the Second World War. The decision in favour of the cathedral’s archaeological restoration was taken in 1992. The mission to reconstruct Europe’s greatest and most monumental Protestant church fell to the architects of IPRO DRESDEN. The rebuild work was undertaken using the latest technology yet based on the original plans and with maximum reclamation of the historical structure and materials. In order to replicate the Frauenkirche of old, the architects used high-precision 3D software originally developed for the aerospace industry. The historical building blocks—22,000 cubic metres were removed from the ruin—were relocated in the external façade in accordance with their original position as determined by computer. Forty-three percent of this existing material was re-incorporated in the masonry. In order to retain the original appearance despite the use of modern construction methods, particular attention had to be paid to the detail work. Not only the hinges and door fittings designed to replicate their historical predecessors, but also the DORMA ITS 96 integral door closer and the DORMA BTS 80F floor spring proved to be perfect solutions for this particular environment.