Dresden is the capital of the federal state of Saxony. With its characteristic Baroque architecture and picturesque location in the Elbe Valley, the city has established itself as the “Florence”, first receiving this comparison in a book by the historian Johann Gottfried Herder. We visited Dresden in January, it was rainy and cold, but I fell in love with this city and it will always hold a special place in my heart. I will definitely be back one day. Here is a collection of my interesting facts about Dresden.
Dresden restoration after World War II
Dresden was Adolf Hitler’s favorite city. In February 1945 the entire city of Dresden including Baroque historical center was totally destroyed by Allied bombing. The restoration took almost 60 years, and by 2004, the historical part of the city, Altstadt, completely destroyed during the Second World War, was almost completed. At the same time the Elbe Valley was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. However, on June 25, 2009, she lost this status due to the construction of the Waldschlöschen bridge.
Dresden Opera House
The Dresden State Opera is considered one of the most beautiful theaters not only in Germany, but throughout the world. A three-story building in the Baroque style, located in the city center looks like no other. The architect Gottfried Semper is the founder of the Dresden State Opera. In his honor, the theater, built, by the way, in 1814, is often called the Semperoper. Dresden Opera House was destroyed and rebuilt twice. Temporary Opera House took just 6 weeks to build. You can book a tour of Opera House, we took it during our visit to Dresden and really enjoyed it.
Furstenzag
Furstenzag(Procession of Princes), the porcelain mosaic located on one of the Dresden Royal Palace walls is the largest porcelain mosaic the world.
Saxony was ruled by the Wettin dynasty for almost a millennium. The princes of the family took over the baton of government, and Dresden presents this procession of princes in the form of an original panel made on porcelain tiles. The mosaic is placed on the outer side of the palace complex from the side of Augustusstrasse. It depicts 35 representatives of the Wettin family, the princes and kings. As you look closer at the panels, you can learn a lot of information from the history of Germany. You can see the years of his reign, name and even nickname near each horseman. he panel depicts not only rulers, but also standard-bearers, guards, heralds, servants, as well as famous scientists and creative celebrities.
I looked at the panel for some time and did not find a single female there.
Interesting Facts About Dresden
Christmas Stollen
Traditional German Christmas Stollen originated from Dresden. It is popular Christmas treat that is sold year round in Dresden. There is even a festival, Stollenfest, organized in honor of stollen. Stollen usually baked 2-3 weeks before it is consumed to absorb all the flavor of nuts and candied fruits soaked in rum.
Frauenkirche original building and reconstruction
The Frauenkirche Church is located in the historic center of Dresden, almost next door to the famous Brühl Terrace, the Academy of Fine Arts and the Palace of Culture. The temple was built in the first half of the 18th century, but during the Second World War it was heavily bombed. Dresden Frauenkirche remained in ruins for almost 50 years as a war memorial. The Church rebuild started in 1994 after reunification of Germany. Almost 4000 original stones were reused during the Frauenkirche church rebuild.
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Interesting Facts About Dresden
Sandstone
Dresden has a lot of sandstone buildings. Sandstone naturally turns black as it ages and the buildings look like they were burned.
