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Dresden is the capital city of the German Federal State of Saxony and situated in a valley on the River Elbe. The city's population is 490,000 (2006) and the population in its agglomeration is 1.1 million. Dresden is part of the metropolitan area Saxon Triangle ... more »
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Airports Dresden is the capital city of the German Federal State of Saxony and situated in a valley on the River Elbe. The city's population is 490,000 (2006) and the population in its agglomeration is 1.1 million. Dresden is part of the metropolitan area Saxon Triangle with a population of over 3.2 million.
Dresden has a long history as capital and Royal residence for the Kings of Saxony with centuries of extraordinary cultural and artistic splendor. The controversial Bombing of Dresden in World War II and 40 years of GDR changed the face of the city dramatically.
Since German re-unification Dresden has been an important cultural, political, and economic center in the Eastern part of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Dresden is located in the southeastern corner of eastern Germany; about two hours south of Germany capital, Berlin, and about two hours north of Prague, capital of the Czech Republic. About an hour northwest of Dresden is Leipzig, another big city in Saxony.
Unlike many large cities in Germany, which feature a clearly defined inner city, Dresden has several important centers of social and economic activity spread throughout the city's area. Often seen as an important culture center, it is called the "Florence of the Elbe" (Elbflorenz in German) because of that.
Dresden is also an important center of the sciences and is home to many researchers. The city is often called the "Silicon Valley of Germany" because numerous computer hardware and hi-tech development firms have opened offices and research facilities in the region. The Dresden University of Technology, is one of the world's oldest technical universities.
Before the bombing raid of World War II, Dresden with its unmatched collection of baroque architecture was famous as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. The style of architecture that predominated under August I of Saxony is known as Dresden Baroque. The city area also reportedly had in some quarters the highest living costs in Europe before World War II. Many of the city's greatest monuments were rebuilt in the decades following the war; this process was given new impetus and funding after the reunification of Germany in 1990. The city now once again features a wealth of tourist attractions.
Things to do
* Semper Opera House * Zwinger Baroque buildings enclosing a picturesque garden courtyard including the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister ("old masters' picture gallery") * Dresden Frauenkirche Protestant Baroque church * Katholische Hofkirche Roman Catholic Church * Dresden castle, including the Grünes Gewölbe, the "Green Vault" where the Saxon Crown Jewels are displayed * The Albertinum museum, including the Galerie Neue Meister ("new masters' gallery") and the sculpture collection (closed due to reconstruction). * Broad River Meadows * Brühl's Terrace — nicknamed "The Balcony of Europe" — a terrace overlooking the Elbe river. * world's biggest and oldest paddle steamer fleet, the White Fleet * The Fürstenzug (procession of princes) fresco showing the Wettin dynasty * Large castles: o Fortress Festung Königstein o Moritzburg hunting lodge o Pillnitz Palace, Schloß Eckberg, Albrechtsberg (castles) o Meissen * villa quarters like Blasewitz, Klotzsche, Preußisches Viertel, Wachwitz, Kleinzschachwitz, Weißer Hirsch, Südvorstadt, Wiener Viertel, Strehlen, Waldschlößchenviertel, Großer Garten, Laubegast, Bühlaupark, Bürgerwiese, Striesen, Plauen, Bühlau, Hellerau, Johannstadt, Tolkewitz, Neugruna, Pillnitz and Radebeul. * Europe's largest Dixieland music festival (taking place in May each year) * The oldest German Christmas Fair, the Striezelmarkt (only around Christmas, Dresdner Christstollen, Christmas pyramid toys e.g.) * Large number of technical and art museums, including the famous Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister. Many of these hold world records in collection sizes, just as an example the biggest porcelain collection of the world can be found in the Zwinger. o The German military history museum (with exhibits dating back to the Stone Age) * Blue Wonder historic bridge considered a "wonder" of 19th century engineering * Schwebebahn Dresden an aerial cable car similar to the Schwebebahn Wuppertal * Standseilbahn Dresden — the funicular cable railway in Dresden. * Fernsehturm Dresden-Wachwitz — TV Tower of Dresden. Unfortunately the observation deck is closed. * The Transparent Factory, Volkswagen's luxury car assembly plant with a glass exterior opened in 2002 * Yenidze, a former cigarette factory looking like a mosque
Nearby, at a higher elevation, are the villages Bannewitz and Rundteil at the foot of the Erzgebirge mountains. In the northeast is the Bühlau quarter; in the east Kleinzschachwitz, another villa quarter. More east is Saxon Switzerland, a large prime climbing destination. Meißen is situated to the west of Dresden, most famous for the invention as well as production of European porcelain.
An ancient Slavic settlement known as Dreždany ("alluvial forest dwellers") on the northern bank of the river was joined in 1206 by a German town on the southern bank, the heart of the present day Altstadt ("old town"), while the Slavic part is called Neustadt ("new town"). Founder of the city was Dietrich of Meißen, Margrave of Meißen.
Dresden was not the only German city devastated by World War II bombing, but the bombing of Dresden in 1945 has become one of the most controversial events of that war. It was carpet-bombed on the early hours of Valentine's Day, 13-14 February 1945. The Altstadt ("old town") side of the Elbe River full of its historical cultural treasures was the most damaged, and left smoldering. Because the raging fires stopped at the river, the newer Neustadt ("new town") became the older side of modern-day Dresden sustaining less damage. In hindsight, it is clear that the end of the war was approaching. At the time, however, Allied forces had only recently regrouped from a German counteroffensive.
After the Second World War, Dresden became a major industrial center in socialist East Germany with a great deal of research infrastructure. Many important historic buildings were rebuilt, although the communists leaders of the city chose to reconstruct large areas of the city in a bland socialist modern style for economical and ideological reasons, namely to break away from the city's past as the royal capital of Saxony and a stronghold of the German bourgeoisie.
However, some of the bombed-out ruins of churches were razed by Soviet authorities in the 1960s instead of being repaired. Among East Germans, Dresden also earned the nickname "the valley of the clueless" because the city's location in a valley prevented its residents from watching West German TV, an illegal but popular pastime among East Germans. On 3 October 1989, (the so-called "battle of Dresden"), a convoy of trains carrying East German refugees from Prague passed through Dresden on its way to West Germany. Local activists and residents, joined in the growing civil disobedience movement spreading across East Germany by staging demonstrations and demanding the removal of the undemocratically-elected communist government.
Dresden has experienced dramatic changes since the reunification of Germany in the early 1990s. The city still has many of its wounds from the bombing raids of 1945 but Dresden has undergone significant reconstruction in recent years. The most important urban renewal/reconstruction project was the reconstruction of the Frauenkirche ("Church of Our Lady") and the surrounding Neumarkt district.
The church, once the city's symbol and considered the world's finest Protestant church, was rebuilt following German reunification in 1991 from the remaining pile of rubble of the original church's ruins thanks to private and corporate donations. It was completed in 2005, a year before Dresden's 800th birthday. The new Frauenkirche was rebuilt according to historical drawings and photographs and is now open to public service since Reformation Day 2005. Despite the inner city's almost total destruction in World War II, many areas in the central city have been restored to their former glory. The urban renewal process in Dresden will continue for many decades but public and government interest remains high and there are numerous large budget projects underway — both historic reconstructions and modern plans — that will continue the city's recent architectural renaissance.
Because of its location in a relatively narrow river valley, Dresden's climate is much more characteristic of southern Germany and is considerably warmer than most other places in eastern Germany. In 2002 Dresden was listed as one of Europe's greenest (large) cities: a third of its area is covered by the forested areas called Dresdner Heide. The Großer Garten ("Great Garden") is the largest urban park in the city.
Temperature - Yearly Average
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