Geschichte

18th Century

The New Market in Dresden is one of the oldest settlements in the town center of Dresden. The square gained significance with the erection of the Frauenkirche, built between 1726 and 1743 and designed by George Bähr. With the completion of the church, procedures for developing the square were considered for the first time in order to strengthen the effects of the church. This is how Dresden’s New Market Square became one of the first addresses of European city planning.

20th Century

The construction of the New Market was damaged extensively during the aerial attacks on February 13 and 14, 1945. Only the choir annex and parts of the four stair towers of the Frauenkirche were left standing. The enclosure walls of the Johanneum still remind us of the historical development, the artistic history and baroque beauty of the city.

During the communist regime, the square around the Frauenkirche remained undeveloped. Despite the architectural emptiness, the square was always filled with the memories and thoughts of the people.

„This space was never really empty for the residents of Dresden. At the very least, it was filled with memories everywhere. Even in the years in which there was no reason for optimism, the appreciation for their city was never interrupted.” ((Heinrich-Otto Müller, Historic New Market Society, Book 2, 2008, 7th issue (Gesellschaft Historischer Neumarkt e.V., 2. Heft 2008, 7. Jahrgang))

21st Century

Through the German unification and Dresden’s call for help to resurrect the Frauenkirche, the redevelopment of the New Market became possible. The Citizens’ Initiative for the Reconstruction of the Frauenkirche appealed for global support for the rebuilding of the Frauenkirche in Dresden. Up to the consecration of the church in 2005, a square appropriate for the Frauenkirche was to be established.

The QF Quartier an der Frauenkirche or Quartier I was the first Qaurtier to be developed. Arturo Prisco, the builder, planned a mélange of buildings in both the historical and contemporary style. The reconstruction of a destroyed building, as soon as the original drawings were available, was the Haus Neumarkt 2, the former Weigelsche Haus. Particularly noticeable however, is the Haus Neumarkt 1 at the junction to Augustus Street with its arched façade. It was once the Hotel Stadt Berlin and today it’s the QF Hotel.

Today, the QF is made up of small shops, restaurants and lots of space for meandering. The upper stories consist of apartments and offices. Arturo Prisco says that he didn’t only build the Quartier for people who could afford it; he also built it for people who cannot afford it YET. The QF wants to tantalize you when you stop by.