Dresden became a city in 1206 and recently celebrated its 800th birthday in 2006.
It was home to many Saxon princes and kings, the most famous of them being August der Starke (Augustus the Strong), whose kingdom included Poland as well. They apertained to the family of the Wettiner and were closely related to many other European royal families. Many buildings date from their reign and especially the rich art collections are testimony of their extreme wealth. The "Madonna Sixtina" was for instance bought by the son of August the Strong.
The last Saxon king abdicated in 1918.
The historical center of Dresden was 75% destroyed by Allied bombing in 1945. These events are deeply marked in the history of the city and are still remembered each year in processions and ceremonies. More than 30,000 people died in the bombing - the exact number is unknown.
For many years the ruins and now the newly rebuilt Frauenkirche, with its donated gold cuppel from the UK, act as a call for peace among the different nations of the world.
The historical center is nowadays largely restored to its former glory, however some parts are still under reconstruction.
Dresden December 2003
Dresden has about ten million tourists a year, most of them from Germany. The Zwinger was rebuilt in 1964, the Semper Opera house in 1985, and the now most famous landmark of Dresden, the Frauenkirche, in 2005. When asked what they like most about their city, Dresden citizens will reply Old Town (which is quite compact, even though it has a lot of well-known attractions and museums of worldwide meaning), Dresden-Neustadt (an alternative central quarter) and the surroundings like the wine town Radebeul, the climbing area Saxon Switzerland, lots of castles, and most of the city landscape of about 80 quarters.
The level of international tourism is growing, especially from the US and China. Dresden is a stop between Prague and Berlin. Architecturally, Blasewitz is the most interesting living quarter, despite it being a hilly landscape.
The city can look a bit gloomy, as most of the pre-war buildings are still black and burnt, but this also is one of the attractions of the city, as there are not many other German cities - apart from Berlin - where evidence of WW2 is so visible.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Dresden
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Dresden - updated May 2024
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Dresden Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
