Dresden

Post-reunification

Dresden has experienced dramatic changes since the reunification of Germany in the early 1990s. The city still has many of its wounds from the bombing raids of 1945 but Dresden has gotten an impressive "make-over" in recent years. The most important urban renewal/reconstruction project in progress is that of the Frauenkirche (?Church of Our Lady?) and the surrounding Neumarkt district. The church, once the city's symbol, was partly rebuilt from the stones of the original church. Despite the inner city?s almost total destruction in World War II, many areas in the central city have been restored to their former glory. The urban renewal (German: Stadtreparatur) process in Dresden will continue for many decades but public and government interest remains high and there are numerous large budget projects underway - both historic reconstructions and modern plans - that will continue the city's recent architectural renaissance.

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In 1990 Dresden--an important industrial centre of East Germany--had to struggle with the economic collapse of the Soviet Union and the other export markets in eastern Europe. East Germany had been the richest Communist country but was faced with competition from western Germany after reunification. After 1990 a completely new law and currency system was introduced in the wake of Communism?s downfall, and eastern Germany's infrastructure was largely rebuilt with funds from western Germany. Dresden as a major urban center has developed much faster and more consistently than most other regions in the former East Germany, but the city still faces many social and economic problems which stem from the collapse of the communist system, including high unemployment levels. Many of the industries that made Dresden rich before the Second World War and disappeared under communism have resettled in the city including the optical industry, the high quality foodstuffs industries, and the watchmaking industries (including the Glashuette brand). The city has also attracted many new firms to the region (including AMD, Motorola, Toppan Photomasks, Infineon Technologies, and Airbus Industries). Volkswagen is currently manufacturing its Phaeton car model and the Bentley "flying spur" model at a modern factory located in central Dresden, delivered by city tramway.

Related Topics:
1990 - Law - Currency - AMD - Motorola - Infineon Technologies - Airbus Industries - Volkswagen - Phaeton - Bentley

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In 2002, torrential rains caused the Elbe to flood 9 m past its 1845 record height, damaging many landmarks (See 2002 European flood). The destruction from this ?millennium flood? is no longer visible, due to the rapidity of reconstruction. Disaster relief for the millennial flood came from around the world.

Related Topics:
2002 - Elbe - 1845 - 2002 European flood

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In 2004 the United Nation's cultural organization UNESCO declared Dresden and the surrounding section of Elbe river valley to be a "World Heritage" site.

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Dresden remains a major cultural epicenter of historical memory, owing to the city's destruction in World War II. Every year on February 13, the anniversary of the major British fire-bombing raid that destroyed most of the city, tens of thousands of demonstrators gather to commemorate the event. Similar ceremonies held during the period of communism were specifically directed at demonizing the Western Allies, above all the United States. Since reunification, the tone of the ceremonies has taken on a more neutral and pacifist tone. In recent years, however, right-wing extremist skinheads have tried to instrumentalize the event for their own political ends. Affiliated with the radical right National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD), they cite the bombing of Dresden in order to portray Germans as the real victims of the Second World War, and try to take advantage of anti-American sentiment to do it. In 2005, Dresden was host to the largest Neo-Nazi demonstration in the post-war history of Germany. Between five and eight thousand Neo-Nazis took part, ostensibly in mourning for the victims of what they call the Allied bomb-holocaust (German: Alliierter Bombenholocaust).

Related Topics:
World War II - February 13 - Communism - Allies - United States - Right-wing - Skinheads - National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD) - Anti-American - 2005 - Neo-Nazi - Allied - Holocaust

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In an attempt to become one of Germany's cleanest cities, Dresden is even considering a DNA database storing profiles for all of the city's 12,000 registered dogs, to identify the creators of found excrements. http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Dresden_city_council_wants_DNA_matching_for_doggy-doo

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