The church at the center of this photo is called the Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady). This large Protestant church was completed in 1743, under King Augustus the Strong., In 1945, American and British pilots fire-bombed Dresden killing 25,000 civilians and destroying the majority of the historical center of Dresden--including this church, the Zwinger, the Hofkirche, and many others. Since Dresden was part of Communist East Germany, many historical buildings, including the Frauenkirche, were not rebuilt. Finally, in 1992, Dresdeners began rebuilding this church, which had been a memorial since WWII. Some of the stone is from the original. The opera house, Zwinger palace, and churches in the following posts are also replicas, the originals all lost due to the fire-bombing. Knowing the history of the buildings made the tour of Dresden much more meaningful and enjoyable.