DRESDEN'S REBIRTH

As a child I often spent my summer holiday at my grandmother's home in Dresden. My father wanted his children to see the treasures of Saxony's golden age, acquired by that extraordinary monarch Frederick Augustus I "The Strong" (1670-1733), Elector of Saxony and King of Poland. My father was 13 when he saw his city in flames and razed to the ground by Allied bombers on the night of February 13^th 1945. My grandmother always lamented that her "Florence upon the Elbe" had lost its baroque beauty forever.

She died in 1995, so she could not witness Dresden's emergence from the rubble and gloom. The city is becoming something beautiful--and even glamorous--once again. This began a few years ago, with the consecration of the collapsed baroque Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in 2005. A ruin for almost 50 years, this church had been a default memorial to the atrocities of the second world war. Now it is an impressive symbol of Dresden's rebirth.

Inspired by a television feature about the reconstruction of the historical "Neumarkt" (New Market)--the square surrounding the Frauenkirche--I realised I needed to see for myself whether glory was really returning to the city. By lucky coincidence, I was invited to the big opera ball at the Semperoper Dresden, Saxony's stunning historical State Opera House, on January 18^th--a perfect occasion to begin my research of this renaissance.

Dresden was once famous for its majestic opera balls, held between 1926 and 1939. Following Germany's reunification, and the (sluggish) economic recovery and political freedom this brought, Dresdeners have been keen to revive this tradition. The first post-war opera ball took place in 2006, to celebrate the city's 800^th anniversary. Since then, the fete has become the city's grandest annual event. Some say it now rivals the famous Vienna opera ball. "Dresden is Dresden and Vienna is Vienna", assured Hans-Joachim Frey, the director of the Semperoper from 2003 through 2007, who initiated the ball. But he proudly added that 40% of his guests live beyond the city (further, even, than Berlin). Ticket prices range from ‚¬160 to ‚¬1,500, and they sell like hot cakes.

I took an early train from Berlin to begin my day at Brockmann & Knoedler, a luxury beauty salon in the Quartier an der Frauenkirche (QF). The QF was the first quarter of the historical Neumarkt to be rebuilt after German unification. At a cost of nearly ‚¬70m--invested by Arturo Prisco, a Munich-based clothier, Kai von DÃ¶ring, an architect, and Kondor Wessels, a Berlin developer--it was inaugurated with a spectacular open-air celebration in September 2006.

On my way to the Neumarkt from the main station, through the Prager Strasse, I did not spot anything indicating glamour--old or new. But everything changed once I entered the Neumarkt, where the new architecture is fascinating, a pioneering mixture of modern and historical.

The promises of Brockmann & Knoedler delivered. I indulged myself with "Day Spa Relax", one of the salon's four spa programmes. My hair and shoulders were pampered as never before, my palate spoiled with delicious teas and fruit salads, and the view to the Frauenkirche was just tremendous. So was my bill, which brought me back to reality after four hours of royal treatment. But I left this stylish beauty temple feeling ten years younger and well prepared for the decadent fete ahead.

After this lesson in the art of hair styling (and general coddling), I sought a tutorial in the art of traditional fine watch-making. I rang the almost invisible doorbell at A. Lange & SÃ¶hne, a new and unique shop in QF. This is where Germany's most distinguished (and most expensive) clocks and watches are made. Ferdinand Adolph Lange, born in Dresden in 1815, founded the Lange watch-making dynasty in GlashÃ¼tte, south of Dresden. In 1841 his father-in-law and business partner, Johann Christian Friedrich Gutkaes, created an extraordinary (and now renowned) five-minute clock for the Semper Opera House. But after the second world war, the communist government expropriated the business, effectively shutting down the brand.

But Walter Lange, Ferdinand's great-grandson, restored the company in 1990 (with help from some Swiss watch manufacturers), and the brand opened its first shop in September 2007. (A second boutique will open in Shanghai this spring.) This elegant Neumarkt boutique is another jewel in the new Dresden crown. Augustus the Strong would have adored this place, surely squirreling whatever he could away in his treasury chamber, the Green Vault. Each detail of its splendid design--a mixture of fine craftsmanship, timeless luxury and state-of-the-art technology--fits with the precious pieces on sale. Customer enjoys individual and discrete attention. Watch repairs are done on site immediately by Max RÃ¼ttinger in his stylish workshop upstairs.

Back outside I walked across the Neumarkt and into the Frauenkirche to enjoy a moment of calm. Once again, I was amazed by the magnificent interior. I lit a candle for my grandmother, convinced she would have been deeply moved by the grace of the church and the beauty of the re-emerging Neumarkt, the fine architecture of what has been built, and the promise of more to come. Elegant restaurants and cafes, two stylish hotels and a number of luxury fashion and jewellery shops have already settled here, bringing back new life.

My grandmother would have also liked the grand opera ball, which was not only celebrated by the 2,000 guests in their outstanding evening gowns inside the Semper Opera House, but also by some 6,000 Dresdeners at the so-called open-air ball outside on the Theaterplatz, in front of the opera house. While the guests inside listened to national and international opera stars, as well as the choir and orchestra of the Semperoper, the visitors outside saw marvellous fireworks above the opera house, a live transmission on a giant screen and various carnival bands (the open-air ball's theme was "Carnival in Venice"). Many people, old and young, were dressed in colourful and elaborate costumes--the most exceptional of which was awarded later in the evening. The square was filled with happy, dancing and laughing people. I do believe that glory and glamour are indeed returning to a city that deserves it.

(Cornelia Rudat works in the Berlin offices of The Economist.)