Template:POTD/2015-01-23

Picture of the day

The Sophienkirche in Dresden, Germany, as presented in a photochrom from c. 1895. Established in 1333 as a Franciscan monastery and chapel, the church stood empty for years after the Protestant Reformation. Restored in 1610 by Sophie of Brandenburg, the church received an organ made by Gottfried Silbermann in the 18th century, and the composer Johann Sebastian Bach performed several of his works there. The church, redesigned during the mid-19th century, was heavily damaged during the bombing of Dresden in 1945, and in 1962 the East German government ordered it destroyed.Photochrom: Detroit Publishing Company; restoration: Adam Cuerden