Photo: Marcin Winnicki, Dreamstime

It is a moment that touches everyone present, regardless of age, nationality or religion. Sir Neville Marriner, the 86-year-old British conductor, raises his hands to the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra, prompting the strings to open with a delicate sequence of chords. Rising in volume, beautiful music fills the equally beautiful Baroque interior of the Frauenkirche, the Church of Our Lady.

The piece is by Ralph Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. English music in a German church — a church that was bombed to rubble by English and American bombs in February 1945.

For nearly 50 years, the Frauenkirche, formerly the crowning glory of one of Europe’s most picturesque cities, was left neglected, an overgrown stone heap that for the East German communist authorities served as a symbol of Anglo-American capitalist brutality.

After German reunification in 1990, a campaign to rebuild the Frauenkirche quickly gained momentum. Work began in 1994 and was completed in 2005. Donors from every corner of the world contributed to the $175 million cost. Fire-charred blocks from the destroyed building were incorporated into the restoration; around 45 percent of the stonework is original.

Meanwhile, Dresden itself regained much of its lost beauty. When, on a hot spring afternoon, I sat with my girlfriend on the lush meadows lining the bank of the River Elbe opposite the Old Town, it was as if nothing had changed since the Italian painter Bernardo Bellotto set up his easel in the same place 250 years ago.

Restoration continues. With each reconstructed building, the nightmares of the recent past recede. It is hard to believe that in the space of 48 horrific hours in 1945 more than 30,000 people died here. Or that, in the following decades, every aspect of daily life was constricted by communism.

When you bring children to a city like Dresden, how much should you tell them about the past? Clearly there are difficult issues here. But if approached sensitively, a family visit can provide a valuable window onto 20th-century history.

The Dresden City Museum provides a useful introduction. Here you can see relics and paintings evoking Dresden in its early pomp before progressing into a gallery that records the rise of the Nazis and the consequent bombing that reduced 90 percent of the city to ruins. One of the most moving photographs, taken in the immediate aftermath of the bombing raids, shows a stone statue seemingly bent in despair as it surveys the devastation spread beneath it.

The statue is located at what is now the visitor viewing deck of the Rathausturm, the City Hall Tower. Admission is by elevator from the City Hall courtyard. From the top there is a complete panorama of Dresden, old and new.

The wide boulevards and ranked high-rise apartment blocks of the communist era contrast starkly with the spires and red-tiled rooftops of the Old Town. The famous statue gazes impassively at the transformed cityscape.

For teenagers and literature buffs, one of the most evocative wartime sites is Slaughterhouse Five, situated at the northern end of Schlachthofstrasse, a 30-minute walk northwest of downtown. This key location of Kurt Vonnegut’s eponymous novel, which is studied in many American schools, sits in atmospheric neglect, its literary significance unknown to most locals.

Dresden’s more recent communist history is recorded at the DDR Museum in the western district of Radebeul. Occupying four floors of a former socialist industrial building, the museum provides an immersive look at life behind the Iron Curtain.

Southeast of downtown, the Deutsches Hygiene-Museum is a popular attraction for kids of all ages, with interactive displays dedicated to science, society and human health. Parents should bear in mind that some exhibits — especially in the section devoted to reproduction — are rather frank.

There are no such qualms about the nearby Volkswagen Transparent Factory, where you can pre-book a memorable 90-minute tour of the breathtakingly high-tech production line of the top-of-the-range Phaeton (ask your hotel concierge to make the arrangements). Dads may balk at the $85,000 price tag for the completed vehicles, but kids will be more than happy with the affordable toy Phaetons for sale in the futuristic lobby.

The Transparent Factory is a space-age anomaly in a city which is determinedly recapturing the spirit and fabric of its pre-war grandeur. There was always something theatrical about old Dresden. Nowhere is that more evident than at Schlossplatz (Palace Square), which feels like a stage set rendered in stone — ideal for dramatic entrances and exits.

Ahead of you, an archway leads to the Old Town. Behind you, the Augustus Bridge spans the Elbe. To the far left, a narrow street is lined along one side by a 335-foot-long porcelain mural, the Procession of Princes, a miraculous survivor of the wartime firestorm. To your right is the Hofkirche, the city’s beautiful cathedral. To your immediate left, a broad flight of steps leads up to the Bruhlsche Terrace, the “Balcony of Europe,” the legendary promenade overlooking the river.

This is a perfect setting for fairytales. Dresden’s history is woven as much with romance as tragedy. Pass through the arch way and you reach the entrance to the Schloss — the Royal Palace — which for more than 500 years was home to a colorful cast of aristocrats and royalty.

Any fairytale palace should contain a vault of priceless treasures. The Schloss has two. The New Green Vault boasts a spellbinding wealth of intricately carved ivory pieces; golden ornaments; and a fantastic model of an Indian royal court rendered in silver, gold, pearls and precious stones. The Historic Green Vault contains yet more riches, though admission is restricted to a set number of visitors each day — tickets, which are time-specific, can be purchased in advance online; children under 16 are admitted free.

Dresden’s best-kept secret lies a short train ride along the Elbe. We made the journey early one morning, viewing the suburbs of the city from the top deck of the double-decker car. Just 30 minutes after leaving downtown Dresden, we disembarked at the riverside village of Kurort Rathen. We crossed the Elbe on the small passenger ferry that shuttles between the banks and entered a natural wonderland.

The area is known as Saxon Switzerland. Geographically, it is nowhere near Switzerland (it actually straddles the border between Germany and the Czech Republic); the name was bestowed by a pair of Swiss painters who toured the region 200 years ago. The combination of the languidly curving river, ancient woodland, flat-topped hills and sculptural sandstone formations subsequently established the region as the destination of choice for 18th-century German artists. Every view here is picture-perfect.

The area is now a national park crisscrossed by sign-posted trails, including the 70-mile-long Malerweg, or Painters’ Way. We followed the path along a narrow valley, skirting a sinuous lake, and then began a 45-minute ascent up successive flights of steps through rocky gullies.

Finally, breathless but exhilarated, we reached the Bastei Bridge, an incredible manmade bridge among eerie fingers of rock. After the quietude of the trail, we were suddenly mingling with dozens of tourists who had reached this scenic point above the Elbe by coach. We were content that we had done it the “right” way; the expansive panorama is all the more rewarding if you have reached it under your own power.

We had come to Dresden all too aware of its past. Thankfully, the heavy shadows of history are ceding to a bright future. In the city, and in nearby Saxon Switzerland, we constantly found ourselves touched by beauty.

Info To Go

Flights arrive at Dresden International Airport (DRS), six miles north of downtown. Trains depart for downtown every 30 minutes; a family ticket for up to six people costs about $10 and can be used on all public transport within Dresden’s Zone 1 for 24 hours. For more information, visit www.dresden.de/dtg/en/.

Lodging

Berghotel Bastei
The hotel is high above the Elbe a short stroll from the Bastei Bridge, a comfortable base from which to hike Saxon Switzerland trails. 01847 Lohmen/Bastei, tel 49 350 24 7790 $$

Bülow Palais & Residenz
Two family-owned properties in the charming Neustadt District include the intimate 4-star Residenz and the 5-star Palais with stylish contemporary flourishes. Residenz, Königstrasse 14, tel 49 351 800 30; Palais, Rähnitzgasse 19, tel 49 351 800 3291 $$$$

Maritim Dresden
Overlooking the Elbe between the Saxon State Parliament and the International Congress Center, this converted historic warehouse is an easy walk to main attractions. Devrientstrasse 10–12, tel 49 351 2160 $$$

Dining

Agra Restaurant
This is the place for great curry. If you like yours hot, request “Indian style” — the Indian chefs normally reduce spicing to suit German palates. Ringstrasse 3, Weisse-Gasse, tel 49 351 836 5222 $$

Currywurst Vans
Street vans set up shop around lunchtime to sell currywurst, pork sausage in sauce sprinkled with mild curry powder, a German concoction. City-wide, especially around Altmarkt Square $

Restaurant Caroussel
Chef Dirk Schröer presides over this Michelin-starred restaurant, the city’s special-occasion venue of choice and one of Germany’s top restaurants.Bülow Palais, Königstrasse 14, tel 49 351 800 30 $$$$