Overview
- The church was re‑inaugurated on 30 October 2005 with a televised service attended by guests from around the world, and President Horst Köhler hailed the project as a triumph of civic spirit.
- Reconstruction launched in 1994 followed Baroque construction principles under engineer Eberhard Burger, integrating more than 3,600 recovered stones into the exterior rather than relying on a modern concrete shell.
- Financing is reported as roughly two‑thirds private donations, including a major gift from Nobel laureate Günter Blobel, with about €65 million provided by Dresden, Saxony and the federal government.
- One outlet cites a total reconstruction cost just under €180 million, reflecting variations in reported figures across the anniversary coverage.
- Engineering analyses attribute the 1945 collapse to fire‑weakened sandstone and the cooling contraction of a reinforced ring beam that shifted loads and triggered a pillar failure, and the rebuilt church now draws millions of visitors each year for worship and concerts.