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The
famous “Florence on the Elbe”, an ensemble of Baroque
buildings virtually without peer in Northern Europe, was
reduced to fields of rubble during the air raids of
February 1945. But over the last 50 years systematic
reconstruction has continued, and by now the chief
architectural masterpieces of the city have been, or are
being, painstakingly restored - as is the case of the
famous Frauenkirche.
Superbly reconstructed treasures include the Zwinger
Palace, housing the world-famous Picture Gallery.
(Fortunately, the great bulk of its collections survived
the war.) Be sure to visit the Green Vault, the treasure
chamber of the Saxon Kings, and their Court Church, one
of the masterpieces of Northern Baroque.
Dresden is a musical city, with its Staatskapelle, the
Philharmonic and the Holy Cross Choir. Its Dixieland
festival in May is Europe’s oldest jazz gathering,
attracting thousands of visitors, followed later in the
month by its traditional Music Festival.
Dresden makes a fine base for exploring beautiful Saxon
Switzerland and the porcelain town of Meissen, not to
mention the moated royal hunting lodge of Moritzburg and
the Chinoiserie of Schloss Pillnitz, just outside the
city. Dresden’s Striezelmarkt has good claim to be the
oldest Christmas market in Germany. Be sure to try the
legendary Dresden Stollen cake, which can be bought at
many of the market stalls. |
