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Who are we?
The Dresden Trust (DT) was founded in 1993 in response to a ‘Call from Dresden’ to help rebuild the city destroyed by Allied bombing in WW2.
With HRH the Duke of Kent as its Patron, the Trust raised over £1m and created the Golden Orb and Cross, which stand on the cupola of the rebuilt Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) as a symbol of enduring friendship.
Our mission
The Dresden Trust builds bridges of friendship and cooperation between the people of Britain and Dresden following the destruction of the historic centre by British bombing in 1945. We create bridges – and walk on them.
With reconciliation largely achieved in the 30 years since its foundation, the Trust today focuses on cooperation with Dresden in friendly interchanges, learning, culture, conferences, and enhancement of public spaces. We relate with people of all ages and social classes.
We share our experience in healing the wounds of war by cooperating with other organisations dedicated to this cause.
Through fund-raising and events, we aim to mobilise the people of Britain behind our philanthropic goals. Overall, we are committed to making a significant contribution to good British-German relations.
80th Anniversary Commemoration
We would also like to share a statement from our Patron, the German Ambassador, H.E. Miguel Berger.
It is an honour to serve as Patron of the Dresden Trust and I am immensely grateful to the Dresden Trust for strengthening the bonds between our countries both by concrete action in contributing to the rebuilding of the historic centre of Dresden, but also by facilitating youth exchange through the Dresden Scholars’ Scheme and now even a digital Lernweg, or Learning Path.
The orb and cross of the Frauenkirche in Dresden are not just the crowning glory of the rebuilt church, but the lasting expression of the Dresden Trust’s dedication to British-German friendship and understanding. Over the past three decades the Dresden Trust has been transforming remembrance of the past into a vision and concrete action for a better future.
On 13th February, The Dresden Trust’s Royal Patron, HRH The Duke of Kent, and all 7 Trustees attended the 80th anniversary commemoration of the British bombing of Dresden in 1945. The Duke inaugurated a new Learning Path illustrating Dresden’s glorious and tragic history. The Path was designed for schoolchildren by Trustee Daniel Schieferdecker, together with partners in Dresden. Interactivity enables schoolchildren to access also from elsewhere in Germany and abroad. The Duke made a speech in German at the main event in the City Hall, and Chairman Marcus Ferrar took part in a panel discussion with Dresden schoolchildren and teachers. As snow fell at dusk, the Duke and all 7 Trustees joined in a Human Chain of solidarity with thousands of Dresdners. At a difficult time in the world, this moving commemoration showed that terrible destruction in war can be followed by reconciliation, cooperation and friendship.
You can see more pictures of the event HERE.
