Along with the Semper Opera House and the Zwinger, the Frauenkirche is the city's landmark. The outstanding baroque building was begun in 1726 and was completed in 1743, after 17 years. In a single deadly night of bombing in February 1945, the Frauenkirche was destroyed by a conflagration along with much of the city center. The heap of rubble remained untouched as a reminder of the war. It was not until 45 years later that reconstruction began. The stones that could still be used were cleaned and marked so that they could be reinserted in the appropriate places. Since most of the original plans still existed, the project was undertaken with the participation of many different countries, restorers, craftsmen and donors from all over the world. In 2005, the church was rededicated in the presence of guests of honor from all over the world.

"Saxony in Bloom" Dresden
Welcomes the 24th WOC
Excerpted from Die Orchidee 74(6), p445-449, 2023
Authors: Irene Bock and Monika Eckert, German translation assistance from Jim Carpenter
Photos: M. Eckert, D.O.G. archive, and the Internet's Public Domain, via Safari.
Springtime in Dresden – a sea of blossoms
For everyone who has ever visited the International Orchid World in Dresden, the name alone evokes memories of an extraordinary sea of flowers, Imaginatively designed exhibition stands, growers and horticulturists from all over the world. The overwhelming visual experience leaves nothing to be desired. Dresden has been the venue for the largest and most beautiful orchid show in Europe. With this legacy, the expectations are high that this WOC will overwhelm and be remembered among the best for years to come.
Tradition for two centuries
Since 1998 the German Orchid Society has continued a tradition starting from the beginning of the 19th century. Dresden has been a known center of horticulture, botany and orchid culture. The "First Horticultural Exhibition" of the "Royal Saxon Society for Botany and Horticulture," founded in 1826, called "Flora" for short, took place in Dresden in May 1829. It was an exhibition with 700 flowering plants in the palace of the "Großer Garten," even including two much-noted flowering Orchis militaris.
From then on, many more horticultural exhibitions followed in Dresden, where orchids increased steadily. The "First International Horticultural Exhibition" in Dresden in 1886 already had 500 exhibitors on 7,000 square meters of greenhouse and building space. Orchids were now a natural focus, with such notable participants as Sander from England and Vuylsteke from Belgium. The "Second International Exhibition" in 1896 and the "Great Horticultural Exhibition" in 1900 were followed by the "Third International Horticultural Exhibition". The head of the orchid department was now the Berlin orchid gardener Beyrodt, who in 1906 founded and became the first president of the German Orchid Society.