Probably his most famous work is the motet "Wie liegt die Stadt so wüst" ("How desolate lies the city"), written after the destruction of Dresden in February 1945. The text is taken from the "Lamentations of Jeremiah", verses 1,1.4.9.13; 2,15; 5,17.20–21. The work is often seen as a bemoaning of the destroyed city, but given the biblical context, it can also apply to the whole of Germany and her people, the destruction of the country being punishment for its iniquities. Mauersberger's "" also reflects the destruction. He wrote a Passion music after St Luke, "Passionsmusik nach dem Lukasevangelium", and the "Dresdner Te Deum".