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On 13 February 1945 Dresden, one of the most beautiful and historic cities of Europe, was destroyed by British and American air raids. This book is the first comprehensive history in the English language of this important cultural and historical centre. The book traces the city's evolution from 1206 to its great baroque period under Augustus the Strong, and from the bombing to the present day. The story of Dresden supplies the reader with unique insights into the collapse of the old monarchic order, the resistance of citizens to the Nazi regime, as well as the reaction of the Church and the rise and fall of the GDR. It describes the post-war replanning of the city, from its ideological reshaping under Communism to the liberation of ideas and energies after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Experts in their fields tell the story of Dresden's great musical, artistic, architectural, literary and theatrical traditions which are further illuminated by a series of personal memoirs from eye-witness accounts in 1945 to contemporary reflections by Lord Menuhin and others. Heavily illustrated, this book will be relevant to students of German history and art history or for anyone interested in a wide-ranging introduction to the history of Dresden.