Dresden: Florence on the Elbe

Table of Content

Toggle

Dresden Day Trip Itinerary

Dresden, before World War II, was known as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, and was also known as "Florence on the Elbe". Dresden has a lot of museums and if you are passionate about museums, you should be able to arrange at least two days here. We only had one day, so we focused on the old town area and the baroque architecture. We started our visit with the Dresden Palace and the museum, and basically took a casual stroll around the Old Town, including a walk through the south bank of the Elbe with several important sights, such as the Semperoper Opera House, the Baroque palace and gardens in Zwinger, the Hofkirche Palace Church, then walked across the Augustus Bridge to the green area on the north bank, and then back to the other side of the river to look at the baroque buildings, and finally in the evening, we returned to the old town to enjoy the baroque architecture. In the evening, you will return to the south bank, slightly southeast of Frauenkirche.

Dresden Old Town

You can't come to Dresden without knowing a little bit about its history. Dresden was the capital of the Kingdom of Saxony in the 19th century and has enjoyed centuries of cultural and artistic prosperity. The Baroque buildings in the Old Town, which were erected during the reign of the Kingdom of Saxony, are still the main feature of the city for tourists. However, much of the present-day Old Town of Dresden was bombed out of existence during World War II. Most of Dresden was destroyed by the Great Bombing of Dresden by the British and American forces during World War II, and was later placed under the rule of the communist government of East Germany. It was not until the last two decades that the German government began to spend a great deal of effort restoring the city to its original condition, and the reconstruction work has been very extensive. As a result, the new city has a completely different appearance from the old one, and the new city nowadays is actually an older building.

Dresden Palace

Dresden Palace, one of the oldest buildings in Dresden, was built as early as 1200 as the palace of the Saxon kings in the 19th century. It was originally built in the Romanesque style, but was largely rebuilt in the Baroque style in the 18th century. The panoramic view of Dresden Palace can be seen from the west, in the direction of the Zwinger Palace.

View from the direction of the Semper Opera House with the Palace Church on the left and the spire of the Hausmannsturm on the right.

Dresden, Dresden Old Town, Dresden, Dresden Palace, Maleto 31

The palace originally had a variety of rooms for preserving treasures such as the Heraldry Room, the Jewelry Room, the Silver Room, and so on, all of which were destroyed during the Second World War. Luckily, the collection was sent out of the city at the beginning of the war, so the collection was preserved. Nowadays, Dresden Palace has been converted into a museum, where many of these magnificent and exquisite artworks are preserved. Due to time constraints, we were only able to see the Green Dome. We were not allowed to take photos of the interior, so we had to share the splendor of the halls.

Dresden, Dresden Old Town, Dresden, Dresden Palace, Maleto 32

Columns

There are many important sights around the palace, and as you head east to Augustus Street, you won't want to miss the Furstenzug, a collage of 24,000 tiles from Meissen's famous porcelain kilns. This magnificent 102-meter-long mural depicts the Saxon monarchs on tour. It is the only miraculous example of a truly intact monument that has survived the ravages of war.

Stahlhof Arena

The Stallhof und Langer Gang, where Maletto is located, has been reconstructed around it exactly as it was in the Middle Ages.

Dresden, Dresden Old Town, Dresden, Dresden Palace, Maleto 33

Front Plaza of the Court

The statue of Frederick I stands in the square next to the Royal Palace and in front of the Higher Regional Court. There were impromptu street performances in the square and we heard a wonderful violin performance as we passed by.

Dresden, Dresden Old Town, Dresden, Dresden Palace, Maleto 34

Dresden, Dresden Old Town, Dresden, Dresden Palace, Maleto 35

Semper Fi Theater

The Semperoper, built in 1841, is now one of Dresden's landmarks and has been the venue for many opera premieres.

Dresden, Dresden Old Town, Dresden, Dresden Palace, Maleto 36

Zwinger Palace

Most of the Zwinger Palace is now also a museum. Zwinger in German refers to the outer part of the castle, which was originally a fortress for the defense of the Dresden Palace. 1689 Augustus II wanted to build a palace as magnificent as the Palace of Versailles, and chose the site of this fortification, which was no longer needed at that time. The Zwinger Palace was inaugurated in 1719 and the interior was completed in 1728, but the actual work as a whole was not finished until the death of Augustus II. What we see now is the result of reconstruction after World War II. Inside the palace was a huge garden, which is now surrounded by a moat.

Dresden, Dresden Old Town, Dresden, Dresden Palace, Maleto 37

Dresden, Dresden Old Town, Dresden, Dresden Palace, Maleto 38

The buildings of the Zwinger Palace are now a museum.

Dresden, Dresden Old Town, Dresden, Dresden Palace, Maleto 39

Palace Chapel

The Katholische Hofkirche (Palace Church), right on the banks of the Elbe, was once the royal church of the Kingdom of Saxony. It is a Catholic church, built by Augustus II in order to become the King of Poland's conversion from Protestantism to Catholicism, and is one of the largest churches in Saxony.

Dresden, Dresden Old Town, Dresden, Dresden Palace, Maleto 40

Augustus Bridge

The Augustus Bridge crosses the Elbe River. Along the Augustus Bridge, we walked to the north bank of the Elbe River. The north bank is a riverside park with a very relaxing atmosphere. This is the east side of the Augustus Bridge taken from the park to the south.

Dresden, Dresden Old Town, Dresden, Dresden Palace, Maleto 41

Riverside Park

It's worth stopping for a while at the Riverside Park, where you can see all the important buildings on the other side of the river. Below, you can see the Church of Notre Dame on the left and the Palace Church on the far right.

Dresden, Dresden Old Town, Dresden, Dresden Palace, Maleto 42

Golden Knight

The Golden Knight, a statue of Augustus II, is located in the New City Market between the Augustus Bridge and Main Street.

Church of Our Lady

Our Lady's Church is a Lutheran church and one of the most famous landmarks in the world, with many seeing it as a symbol of Dresden. Tickets can be paid to enter and see the dome. In the square in front there are street performances and coffee shops. In Dresden, it's always possible to slow down, sit down and enjoy a moment of peace and quiet by the sights.

Dresden Day Trip Itinerary