Most of it was recently turned into a cloakroom but it partly retains its original look, of shiny white tiles and a stained concrete floor. A plaque identifies it as Schlachthof 5 [Slaughterhouse 5]. This is where Kurt Vonnegut, along with fellow US soldiers, was held as a prisoner of war. The recreational spot was formed from the vast amount of smithereens โ from crumbled buildings to crushed human bones โ that resulted when 2, tons of explosive bombs and nearly 1, tons of incendiary devices were dropped from RAF and US air force planes in four raids on the city between 13 and 15 February , in an attempt to bring the war to an end.
On Friday the city will mark the 70th anniversary of the bombings, which killed 25, civilians, many of whom if not blown up, were asphyxiated or burnt to death. Citizens will come together to commemorate the bombing at an array of ceremonies, bell-ringings, readings and plays, with a speech by the German president, and a human chain where candles will be lit in silent tribute to the victims of war.
But Dresden is approaching this major anniversary with considerable trepidation after the most tumultuous months in its recent history, following the rise of the anti-immigrant movement Pegida, which at its height has attracted 25, protesters to its Monday evening demonstrations.
Commemorations are taking place against the backdrop of a deeply divided city. That divide is perhaps most palpable outside the Semperoper concert hall on theatre square, which has been the scene of several Pegida demonstrations,.
But largely its core of supporters are middle-class, middle-aged and well-educated, earning above the average wage. But above all the feeling that they have is of having been hard done by. Historians say that, terrible though the destruction of Dresden was, there was nothing remarkable about it.
