Dresden

useful information:

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WEBcam, (PC only)
Discover Dresden, DW Video
Artist’s Reconmand., DW Video
Dresden Public Transportation

Sightseeing Program 

Frauenkirche:
Church of our Lady, known as a monument against war and a symbol of reconciliation.
Zwinger:
Contains the Old Masters Picture Gallery, the Dresden Porcelain Collection and the Royal Cabinet of Mathematical and Physical Instruments.
Hofkirche:
Church of the Court (Catholic cathedral) is the second tallest religious building after the Frauenkirche.
Brühl Terrace:
An architectural space which extends along the banks of the River Elbe from the old quarter to the School of Fine Arts.
Dresdner Schloss:
Former residence of the kings of Saxony.
Augustusbrücke:
The city’s most important bridge over the River Elba which links the city’s Baroque old quarter to the Neustadt.
Dresden Hauptbahnhof:
The city’s main train station dates back to 1898. It was unique in its day, because it operated on two different levels.
Kreuzkirche:
XIII century Evangelical church.
Großer Garten:
Baroque park located in the city centre.
Yenidze:
Old tobacco factory in the shape of a mosque and converted into a restaurant and tourist attraction.
Weiße Flotte
The world’s largest and oldest historic paddle-steamboat fleet, available for short trips over the river Elbe.
Gläserne Manufaktur:
Volkswagen Phaeton car factory

Germans like to compare Dresden to Florence due to its rich Renaissance and Baroque architecture, its museums, its music heritage and because of its temperate climate, which allows for Germanys most eastern vineries to thrive.

The royal buildings are among the most impressive buildings in Dresden. The Castle was the seat of the royal household from 1485. The wings of the building have been renewed, built upon and restored many times. Due to this integration of styles, the castle is made up of elements of the Renaissance, Baroque and Classicist styles.

The Zwinger Palace is across the road from the castle. It was built as the center for the royal art collections and a place to hold festivals. Its gate by the moat, surmounted by a golden crown, is famous

Culture

Friedrich Schiller wrote his Ode to Joy for the Dresden Masonic Lodge in 1785. Ludwig van Beethoven used the Ode in the final movement of his Ninth Symphony, which was adopted as the European Anthem in 1992.

Carl Maria von Weber and Richard Wagner had a number of their works performed for the first time in Dresden. Other famous artists, such as, Richard Strauss, Gottfried Semper and Gret Palucca, were also active in the city.

The Dresdner Kreuzchor (Choir of The Holy Cross) is a boys‘ choir founded in the 13th century.

The Semper Opera House, which reopened 40 years after its destruction in 1945, is home to the Sächsische Staatkapelle (Orchester), founded in 1548.

History 

The earliest settlements found around Dresden are from the Neolithic era, about 7500 BC and pre-date Stonehenge by about 4000 years. During the early middle ages the area was settled by Sorbs, an ethnic minority which still cultivates its culture and language in the eastern part of Germany.

The Margrave of nearby Meissen chose Dresden as his residence in 1206. From 1485 it was the seat of the dukes of Saxony. In the 1550s Frederick Augustus I was both Elector of Saxony and King of Poland (August the Strong). His reign marked the beginning of Dresden’s emergence as a leading European city for technology and art. Between 1806 and 1918 the city was the capital of the Kingdom of Saxony. Dresden was one center of the German Revolution in 1848. The May Uprising severely damaged the historic centre of Dresden. During the 19th century the city became a major industrial center, including cigarette production, food processing, banking and the manufacture of medical equipment. In the 20th century Dresden was a major communications hub and particularly well known for its camera works until its destruction on 13 February 1945. Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Slaughterhouse Five is loosely based on his first-hand experience of the raid as a POW.

After the Second World War, Dresden became a major industrial center in the German Democratic Republic. Many important historic buildings were rebuilt, including the Semper Opera House, the Zwinger Palace and a great many other historic buildings. However, the authorities chose to reconstruct large areas of the city in a „socialist modern“ style, to break away from the city’s past as the royal capital of Saxony and a stronghold of the German bourgeoisie.

In 1989 local activists and residents joined in the growing civil disobedience movement spreading across East Germany by staging demonstrations and demanding the removal of the nondemocratic government.

Dresden has experienced dramatic changes since the reunification in the early 1990s. The city still bears many wounds from the bombing raids of 1945, but it has undergone significant reconstruction in recent decades. Restoration of the Frauenkirche was completed in 2005, a year before Dresden’s 800th anniversary, notably by privately raised funds.