Dresden’s skyline of palace domes and church steeples on a bend in the Elbe river is one of the glories of European civilization. As it stands today, it is the result of three catastrophes. In 1685, fire ravaged the Renaissance city, and Saxony's scheming, ambitious prince Augustus the Strong (August der Starke) rebuilt it as a baroque residence for his court. Seventy years later, the Prussians wreaked new destruction in the Seven Years' War. Again Dresden rebuilt, adding a splendid neo-Renaissance opera-house in the 19th century. In 1945, from the night of 13 February to noon the next day, British and American fire-bombs rained down and practically razed the city centre. Books on this mass destruction can be found in any bookstore in Dresden and are in fact favourites amongst tourists. In some excerpts of these books it is noted that Churchill's memoirs referred to "a heavy raid on Dresden, then a centre of communications of Germany's Eastern Front". But British military historian Basil Liddell Hart says "Dresden was subjected to a devastating attack - with the deliberate intention of wreaking havoc among the civil population and refugees -striking at the city centre, not the factories or railways." The presence of countless refugees from the east made it impossible to fix the number of dead, estimated at around 35,000. Postcards showing the devastation are sold along the passages of the Altmarkt, especially along Augustusstrasse. It is amazing to see the level of reconstruction that has taken place compared to what was left of Dresden after that fateful 13th February. The process of rebuilding must have been painful but resolute. Just after the millennium, another disaster struck Dresden. In August, 2002 Dresden suffered what is called the “hundred year flood”. The Elbe River overflowed and caused massive damage to Dresden, especially castles and buildings located at the bank of the river. Schloss Pilnitz, for example suffered severe damage to its WasserPalais and Meissen’s passage to Albrechtsburg was completely submerged. I was told that Dresden was under water for a good 8 days before the water subsided to normal levels. Again, the process of recovering is continues. Dresden does what it does best - to strive and overcome devastation. In 2006, the city will be 800 years old and strong. If the city's modern architecture seems uninspired and bleak, the old historic centre has recovered much of its charm. This, the cheerful spirit of the people and magnificent royal art collections, which happily escaped destruction, makes Dresden the most popular of Eastern Germany's cities.