Dresden, Germany Tourist Attractions

Beyond the portico of the Picture Gallery in Zwinger lies Dresden's Theaterplatz, one of Germany's finest squares. In the center stands an equestrian statue (by Schilling, 1883) of King John, who made a name for himself as a student and translator of Dante.

The Hofkirche of Dresden, built between 1738 and 1755, was raised to cathedral status in 1980.The site of the church, at the end of the bridge over the Elbe, was chosen by the Elector as a position commanding the Elbe area. The church, in Italian High Baroque style, was designed by the Roman architect Gaetano Chiaveri. After his departure in 1743 the work was continued by Sebastian Wetzel and others. The church was consecrated in 1751 and finally completed in 1755.During the devastating Allied bombardment of 1945 the interior was burned out and most of the vaulting collapsed, leaving only the tower unscathed. The church was restored after the war.The exterior of the church is striking, with its 85.5m/280ft high tower and its 78 statues in niches and on the balustrades. Notable features of the interior are the processional ambulatories, Balthasar Permoser's magnificently carved pulpit (1722), the altarpiece of the Ascension (by Mengs, 1750-51) and the Silbermann organ (1750-53), Silbermann's last and finest work. In four burial vaults are the remains of kings and princes of Saxony. An urn contains the heart of Augustus the Strong; his body was buried in Krakow.

Opposite the entrance to the Cathedral in Dresden, at the end of Augustusstrasse, stands the Georgentor, the first part of the Schloss to be restored after the war (1964-69). On the west side is a Renaissance doorway from the original building. The sculptural decoration, including the equestrian statue of Duke George, was the work of Christian Behrens.

Until February 1945 the Dresden Neumarkt was perhaps the most picturesque square in the Baroque city. It is now occupied only by the ruins of the Frauenkirche.

From the busy Pirnaischer Platz, Ernst-Thälmann-Strasse (1954-57), Dresden's main east-west artery, runs west to Postplatz. This is the beginning of the new city center developed since the Second World War.

To the west of Dresden's old town, in the district of Friedrichstadt, a planned development initiated by Augustus the Strong in 1730, stands the Baroque Palais Marcolini, which dates from around that time. Much altered in the 19th and 20th centuries, it is now the District Hospital (not open to the public), but preserves some of the original interior decoration. Napoleon and Metternich met and negotiated in the Chinese Room in 1809. The east wing was occupied by Richard Wagner in 1847-49.

To the south of the old town in Dresden is the University of Technology, originally an Institute of Technical Education established in 1828 which from 1900 onwards expanded to occupy a whole district of the town.

Dresden's "new town" on the right bank of the Elbe suffered heavy damage in 1945.

The Strasse der Befreiung runs north from the Neustädter Markt in Dresden.

Upstream from Dresden on the Elbe, in Wachwitz, rises the 252 m/827ft high Television Tower (cafe and viewing platform), from which there are far-ranging views of Meissen, the Elbe Sandstone Hills, the Eastern Erzgebirge and the Lusatian Uplands.

In Hosterwitz, near Dresden, are the fishermen's church of Maria am Wasser (St Mary by the Water; originally Late Romanesque, remodeled in Baroque style in 1774) and the Carl Maria von Weber Memorial Museum (Dresdner Strasse 44), in a little house once occupied by the composer.

The Dresdner Heide is a popular recreation area to the northeast of Dresden, an expanse of wooded country traversed by small streams, 50 sq.km/19sq.mi in extent. In the center of the heath is the Saugarten (footpaths).

On a hill above the Elbe at Gross-sedlitz, 16km/10mi southeast of Dresden, lies one of the most perfect Baroque gardens in Saxony. It was laid out in the French style between 1719 and 1726 for Count Wackerbarth as a pleasure garden attached to one of his palaces. After the estate was acquired by Augustus the Strong in 1723 it was given its present Baroque form by the best Dresden architects of the day (M. D. Pöppelmann, Z. Longuelune and J. C. Knöffel). Stille MusikOf particular beauty is the Baroque staircase with curving balustrades and groups of putti known as the "Stille Musik" ("Quiet Music"). It is now established that this was designed by Pöppelmann.During the summer months there are frequent festivals and dance displays in this beautiful natural setting.

The Dreseden Music Festival runs for two weeks from late May to early June and includes a wide array of events, including operas, classical concerts, recitals and dance performances.This is considered on of Germany's largest festivals and since its inception in 1978 has focused on a different theme every year.Regular performers include the Dresden State Opera and the Berlin Philharmonic, while other participants come from around the world.There are usually over 70 different events which take place in various impressive venues, including the Semper Opera House, the Dresden Cultural Palace, the Albrechtsburg Meissen and numerous castles, theaters and parks.