DRESDEN
- BAROQUE SAXONY
City and Stadium Guide
Dresden is
the one time Baroque capital of the Saxony kings, notoriously fire-bombed
in
World War II, but much of the city’s legendary beauty
of elegant statued buildings has been restored, though
now a curious mix of the ornate royal architecture of the 17th and
18th Century contrasted
by
the
heavy
block
construction
of the
Socialist era which ended in 1990 with the fall of the Berlin Wall and
later reunification. The AltStadt or Old City is where most of the sights
are.
Things to Do In Dresden
The towering
domed Church of Our Lady or Frauenkirche, which only recently completed
restoration
form its war damage, is the highlight of any visit
to Dresden, fronted by the statue of Martin Luther. Follow the frieze
of the “Procession of Dukes” on the long wall of the Rezidence
Palace and stables to Theaterplatz Square where the central bridge crosses
the Elbe river sees the the Zwinger Palace, perhaps the most significant
late-baroque period building in Germany on one side, and the opulent
Semper Opera House on the other, discover an Irish pub in Dresden's club
quarter, or have a meal in Baroque style at the Sophienkeller (see Sophienkeller
Vault Restaurant) or Pulverturm period restaurants.
Zwinger Palace
Dresden's
most beautiful baroque building is in the heart of the old quarter.
Zwinger refers to the location as a type of castle was a type
of castle located between the inner and outer walls of fortification.
The walls are gone but part of a moat remains, where the Crown Gate
with its golden dome is a famous Dresden landmark. The Zwinger houses
three state museums of Meissen Porcelain, Armor and Weapons at the
Rustkammer, and the Old Masters Gallery, while its broad courtyard
is framed by pavilions and ornate arched galleries (see Zwinger Palace).
Semper Opera House
Dresden’s tradition of opera dates back to the German Renaissance.
With its magnificent architecture, luxurious interior and acoustics,
Dresden's Semper Opera House is one of the leading examples of 19th
century theatre architecture. A careful restoration returned the opera
house
returned to its former grandness. The Opera House can be toured during
the day with tickets purchased at the ticket office across the Theaterplatz
Square.
Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche)
One
of the most impressive Protestant churches in Saxony was completely destroyed
in February of 1945 during World War II. While much of the
other damaged buildings were recovered, the devastated ruins of the
Frauenkirche remained through the socialist era as a reminder of war’s
destruction. With stones salvaged from the rubble pile and newly fashioned
ones, the
Frauenkirche was finally rebuilt to return as the city's crown jewel
(see Dresden
Frauenkirche).
Green Vault & Turkish Treasure Chamber
At the Brühl Terrace of the former palace, through a gate guarded
by lions, stone ones, the treasure chamber of the Wettin rulers of
Saxony, The Green Vault, dazzles with its collection of glittering
jewels, and
recently added the Turkish Gallery displays treasures from the near
east.
Transport Museum
The Verhkehrs Museum just steps from the Our Lady Church features five
means of transportation under one roof in the oldest exhibition hall
in Germany in the former palace stables. Railways, trams and trolleys
of urban transport, cars, airplanes and one of the largest model trains
in Europe (see Transport Museum)
Dresden State Art Collections – Old Masters Gallery
The Old Masters Gallery in the Zwinger Palace holds one of the world's
most important collections of European classical paintings. King August
the Strong and August II were avid art collectors who amassed a magnificent
collection of artwork from the earlier Renaissance and baroque periods,
specializing in Italian Renaissance painters like Raphael, Correggio,
Giorgione and Titian and Dutch Masters, Rembrandt, Rubens, Vermeer,
and Van Dyck. The gallery also has a significant collection of Cranach,
the
image biographer of Martin Luther.
The Hygene Museum - Schwarzkopf & Münchow Collections
The German Hygiene Museum just across from the soccer stadium is a
fascinating collection of biology and the history of personal care.
Assembled for
over forty years thousands of exhibits document health care, beauty
and grooming rituals from the ancient world to the Middle Ages, Renaissance
to modern times, from antiuque razoors to wig powder, along with medicine,
opthalmology and human health biology through history.
Museum of Folk Art - Puppet Theatre Collection
Opened in 1913, the Museum of Folk Art in Saxony is housed in Jägerhof
Palace in the Neustadt area of Dresden across the Elbe present three
floors hand-crafted furniture, pottery, carving and lace as well as
one of the world's largest collection the theater puppets, from 200-year-old
marionettes and hand puppets used at local fairs, to characters used
in Bauhaus theatre.
Dresden Stadium - Rudolph Harbig Stadium/Glücksgas Arena
The stadium, home of the Dresden Dynamo team is just about 2
years old, replacing an earlier one from the socialism era. Known
as
the
Rudolf Harbig
Stadium since 1954,
named
for the Dresden born sportsman who set the world record for 800 meters
in Milan in 1939, as is familiar in modern times, naming rights have
been bought by a local German petroleum company hoping
for some
international
publicity,
so
is now the Glücksgas Arena Stadium.
Get a Dresden
Card for riding the city's street trams. There is no underground subway
in Dresden, but the city center is small. The old town is three tram
stops from the Hauptbahnhof - main train station. Dresden is about
two hours by rail from Berlin and is served by Dresden Airport - AirBerlin,
Lufthansa and German Wings. A 3 euro ticket gets you to the city from
the airport and is good for an hour on the city transportation. The
university student part of
town is just to the west of the station and Neustadt
is across
the Elbe River from the old city.
Day Trips from Dresden
Danube
River Cruise
Take a boat cruise on the Danube River surrounded by the Erzgebirge
(ore mountains) and the sandstone cliffs of Saxon Switzerland. Or take
a day trip on the local train system.
Meissen
World-famous for its fine porcelain for the great houses of Europe,
the Meissen factory has been producing masterpieces since first founded
in 1710. Also in Meissen, the Albrechtsburg castle dates from the 1500s,
with its stone spiral staircase, is Germany's earliest castle built
purely as a residence, a schloss, rather than a defensive fortress.
Beneath the castle's hill perch is the old quarter with market square
and beautiful Rathaus town hall.
Moritzburg Palace
Set in a landscape of idyllic lakes is Schloss Moritzburg and its
baroque hunting lodge, one of Europe's prettiest moated palaces.
Rüdenhof,
the last home of Käthe Kollwitz, has an exhibition of works
and personal documents relating to this famous German artist and
sculptor (see Moritzburg Summer Palace).
Radebeul
Radebeul offers a rather Mediterranean
atmosphere with its wine vineyards of the historic Hoflössnitz
vintner estate and the Wackerbarth manor with its Belvedere
Palace. From
Radebeul, a steam-powered narrow-gauge railway runs for a half-hour
trip through the picturesque lake-bedecked countryside to Moritzburg.
Shopping in Dresden
Dresden's
main shopping streets, Prager Strasse, Altmarkt and
Wilsdruffer Strasse have department stores, large fashion chains
and over 100 shops in Altmarktgallerie mall. For more exclusivity, cross
the Elbe and head for Königstrasse in Neustadt.
Altmarkt-Gallerie
Most of the shops around the Altmarkt are smaller, independent stores,
but the Altmarkt Gallerie in an former GDR office building right next
to the square opposite the Culture Palast at the busy central old town
Postplatz tram stop, is old meets new with a modern mall of escalators
to more
than 100 shops,
cafés
and restaurants and totally cosmopolitan atmosphere.
Prager Strasse
Prager Strasse just across from the entrance to the train station is
Dresden's newest premiere shopping street, with large department
stores in a brand new upscale construction and lots of
smaller
shops offering
a
wide
range
of international,
popular brands.
Inner Neustadt
The baroque quarter around Königstrasse close to the Bahnhof Neustadt,
is Dresden's most exclusive shopping area with 100 gourmet restaurants
and
high-end
boutiques,
a
perfect place for a stroll and window-shopping. Hauptstrasse is an attractive
shopping street with small boutique shops and the Neustadt market hall,
a jewel of late 19th Century architecture. © Bargain
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