On February 14, 2015 The Duke of Kent received the Dresden Peace Prize for his work spanning many decades in the reconciliation of Great Britain and Germany. This comes of the 70th anniversary of British and American air raids on Dresden.
Embed from Getty ImagesEach year the Dresden Prize is awarded to one deserving individual. Friend of Dresden Deutschland and the British Embassy in Berlin announced that this years recipient was The Duke of Kent, who received his award in Dresden’s Semper Opera.
Upon hearing news of his award The Duke of Kent, who has also been Patron of the British Dresden Trust since 1994, said:
“This award is really a tribute to all those associated with the Friends of Dresden Trust, of which I have been privileged to be the Patron for the past 20 years. It recognises their achievements and indeed the achievements of all people of good will in the United Kingdom and Germany, who have worked over the last sixty years to bring reconciliation between our two countries. Their success is an example to the rest of the world of what can be achieved through building trust and friendship.”
British Ambassador, Sir Simon McDonald, joined The Duke of Kent on his visit to Dresden to accept his award. McDonald’s full statement has been issued on-line, but a highlight follows:
“…..From the moment the war ended, the path to reconciliation and partnership between Britain and Germany was opened. A path of friendship instead of enmity, of shared values instead of conflicting hostile ideologies. This is exemplified by the twinning of Dresden and Coventry in 1959. The relationship between Britain and Germany – now close allies in NATO and the EU – has never been better. HM The Queen’s State Visit to Germany in June 2015 is a powerful symbol of the importance which Britain attaches to our relationship with Germany….”
Some of The Duke’s work with the Dresden Trust has included a gold cross steeple which sits on top of the Frauenkirche cathedral, a gift in 2004 from the British people to Dresden. The Duke along with all its supporters have raised over £1 million to restore the city’s famous baroque Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady).
During the Second World War air raids caused significant losses for both Britain and Germany.This included the cathedral in Dresden, Saxony which was damaged by the raids. Reconciliation between the two countries made significant progress with the reconstruction of the Frauenkirche cathedral and the installation of the cross and orb steeple.
The Dresden Trust was founded in 1993 by Dr Alan Russell and is dedicated to healing the wounds of war and continuing the peaceful relations between Britain and Germany. It was started as a response to an appeal from Dresden. This appeal resulted in the Trust commissioning the Golden Orb and Cross on top of the cupola of the Frauenkirche. Manufactured in the UK, one of the craftsmen involved was the son of a pilot who took part in the bombing.
In it’s efforts to continue reconciliation, The Trust acts through educational and cultural initiatives, memorials and visits. So far about 300 boys and girls from Dresden have received scholarships to attend independent schools in Britain since 2000 through Trust’s Dresden Scholars Scheme.
To mark the 70th anniversary, The Dresden Trust published a new book, A Trust For Our Times: The Story Of The Dresden Trust, by Alan Russell, Founder and Honorary President.
In addition The Trust is currently working on ‘The Dresden Project – Indelible Marks’ . This art installation by artist Monica Petzal explores explores a family narrative of the Dresden bombing 70 years ago. It can be viewed at the Kreuzkirche, Dresden, Germany until 1st March 2015. This past Thursday, Feburary 12th the Duke of Kent along side the Board of the Dresden Trust and the Mayor of Dresden, Helma Orosz, officially opened the exhibit.
Featured photo credit: Funk Dooby via photopin (license)
