Dresden - Saxony

andre - Sunday, October 9, 2005 - 23:37 Tags: General Visiting

Dresden has been recognized as a World Heritage Site. The capital city of the German federal state of Saxony truly deserves this honor. Dresden is also known as the "Florence of the Elbe" or "Elbflorenz" in German, because of its location on the river Elbe and the beauty that is comparable to Florence as well as its climate which is somewhat milder than other parts of Saxony. Founded in 1206, Dresden is rich of history, art treasures and culture. Many treasures have survived the war or have been brought back to Dresden and can now be visited in one of the countless museums of art. August the Strong made Dresden his most important royal residence and brought porcelain to Dresden and nearby Meissen.

Completely destroyed during the bombing raids of the final days of WWII, the city has been rebuild to its former glory, with the Church of Our Lady ("Frauenkirche" in German) just being finished. During the period of socialist East German Government, Dresden became a major industrial city with a well renowned University. After the German Reunification, Dresden has seen a phase of major renewal and reconstruction and is now one of the most beautiful cities in all of Germany. It has become a center of high tech industries and has now one of Germany's largest aggregation of Semiconductor companies. Dresden is Germanys seventh largest city with a population of approx. 500,000.

Location

Dresden (Airport Code: DRS) is located in southeast Germany not far from the borders to Poland and to the Czech Republic on the river Elbe. The airport to the north of the city connects Dresden to other Major Airport Hubs in Germany.

The Czech Capitol of Prague lays 150km south of Dresden. The new Freeway (A13) will connect the two cities in the near future. Parts of this Superhighway are already accessible. The freeways A13, A4, are two other major Freeways connecting Dresden to Berlin and Leipzig. A4 (The A stands for Autobahn) is another Superhighway. Modernized for over 10 years after the Reunion of Germany, it is a high-speed marvel. If you are a high-octane junky visiting Dresden, you should not miss a ride on this freeway. Without speed limits, this is one place where you can legally push your vehicle beyond 160 mph. Just remember, the highway patrol (Autobahnpolizei) does not pull you over for speeding in the no limit zones but if you pass on the right or if you are driving very offensive you will get a major fine. They also use unmarked cars to patrol some of the speed-limited zones.

The river Elbe that gushes into the Northern Sea, is being used for recreational and freight shipping. Dresden operates the oldest Steamboat fleet in the world.

Activities, Festivals, Weather and more

Weather

As in all other parts of Germany, the weather is usually unpredictable. In the summer it can be incredibly humid and hot for a German city or rain like there is no tomorrow.

In spring, the river usually carries high water from the snowmelt and in fall the river may swell due to rainfall in the mountains of the Erzgebirge. In 2002 torrential rainfalls lead to the “millennium flood” with water levels 9m (30feet) higher than the previous high of 1845. When I visited Dresden 2 years later (see pictures), no signs of destruction were visible.

Activities

If you are visiting the city in summer, you should not miss a ride on one of the steamboats. The oldest steamboat “Stadt Wehlen” was built in 1879. While riding one of those beautiful dinosaurs, you can have a beer (Radeberger is brewed near Dresden and is an excellent beer !) and enjoy the scenery or go down and check out the machine from the viewing area. A very popular ride takes you to the Castle of Pillnitz (see photograph) along the many smaller castles on the river Elbe.

August the Strong, Ruler of Saxony, bought the castle as a present for his mistress but kept it later after they separated. The English Garden next to the castle is a good place to spend the afternoon. You can get off the steamboat and take another one back. Don’t forget to check the latest departure before loosing yourself in the gardens of the castle.

Please see below for cultural activities (Theatre, Museums, Opera).

Events and Festivals

Dresden seems to be a city of the day. I have been disappointed sometimes about the nightlife but the amount of festivals and special events makes the city a heaven for visitors with families. Some of my favorite regular events include:

Movie Nights at the River Elbe (an open air movie festival)
Elbhangfest (don’t know what its about but people march to Pillnitz along the river Elbe, I go there for the food, beer and entertainment)
Dixieland festival (Happens in Spring, all boats drive in a huge progression with Jazz bands on each boat while the whole city is one large Jazz Party. Try getting a ticket for the boats!)
Dresdner Musikfestspiele (Music festival)

There are plenty more events. They don’t seem to miss a chance to party (during the day that is).

Culture

Dresden has a plethora of Museums and stages. The most famous stage is the Semper Opera House (first photo on this page). It is here where operas by Wagner and Strauss had their debut. The opera house has been destroyed twice and rebuild twice. It is hard to get tickets though. Plan your visit and make arrangements ahead. Some of the most famous operas like the Zauberflote (magic-flute) by Mozart require reservations of more than one year ahead while lesser known operas may only require one week.

“Die Herkuleskeule”, a famous cabaret, is also worth a visit if you happen to understand German.

The Zwinger (Gardens enclosed by baroque buildings) houses a whole bunch of museums like the State Mathematics and Physics Salon, Natural History Collection, The Armory, The Porcelain Collection and most notably the Gallery that is one of the finest in Europe. The “Gemaldegallerie Alte Meister” houses paintings such as the “Sistine Madonna” or the “Sleeping Venus”.

The “Grunes Gwolbe” (Green Vault) displays renaissance treasures in the Dresden Palace. If you love jewelry, you definitely have to come see this.

You have to go underground to visit the old fortress and the old city walls (although on a hot day it is nice to go down there). The entrance to the fortress is found underneath the Bruhls Terrace (see image above). It has been built in the 16^th century with holes for cannons and loopholes.

Clubs, Pubs

Enough Culture for now. Lets have some booze and snacks.

Clubs and Pubs

Dresden has a large population of students with plenty of students’ bars. I love intermingling with students sometimes so I tend to seek out those bars. They are usually found around the University, although the Barenzwinger (which I believe to be the best one) is also found underneath the Bruhls Terrace. The club near the medical faculty has a better Woman to Men ratio than most other clubs ;-)

The most interesting clubs and pubs can be found in the “Neustadt” (New Town), which is also a playground of the left wing anarchist movement. Don’t worry they are rather docile if you don’t show up in a suit. If you are looking for a party, this is your best bet.

Try the Alaunstrasse first. Die Scheune (The Barn) is a large club. They feature live concerts and cheap beer.

If you are a financial guru, Dresden offers a special treat for you. The Bierborse is a bar modeled after Wall Street. With monitors showing the actual price on all kinds of beers, demand determines price. Wait for a market crash, which happens every couple of hours or so. They ring the bell and then all prices drop by 50%. They are located Am Eiswurmlager 1.

Alter Schlachthof (Gothaer Straße 11). The old slaughterhouse is a venue for live concerts. This is your best bet for indoor concerts in town.

New Town and Old Town

Dresdens New Town looks older than its Old Town, since Old Town was completely wiped of the face of the earth during the bombing raids of ’45.

All baroque buildings have now been restored to its former glory, with the Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady) being finished in 2005. The Frauenkirche is now one of the main attractions for visitors to Dresden. Finished first in 1743 its unique construction was an architectural marvel. It was built with a limited footprint and is rather high. In 2004 the church received its crown jewel, the 500,000 Euro gilded cross (see picture). The cross was donated by Great Britain as a sign of friendship.

The Old Town now being restored to its full glory once more attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Buildings such as the Hofkirche, Semper Opera or the Frauenkirche dominate Dresdens Skyline. The visitor standing on the Theaterplatz is completely enclosed by baroque buildings. The Opera House, Hofkirche, Zwinger and the Italian village surround the Theaterplatz.

The Bruhls Terrace is a combination of old baroque buildings on top of the old city walls at the river Elbe. During summer, hundreds of visitors are strolling on top of it at any given time. From here you have a good view of the busy steamboats below.

Dresdens New Town is home to the cities Alternative and Punk Movement. The mostly peaceful left wing groups are known to seize buildings destined for destruction or organize protests.

Lodging and Eat’n

German beer in German Beer gardens with a Bratwurst. Can it get any more German?

The best beer gardens can be found near the blue wonder, a suspension bridge in the eastern part of the city. This is a wonderful area to kick back and relax. The beer gardens are located next to the river close to a riverboat stop. You can watch the busy life while nibbling on your beer. I recommend Radeberger or Wernesgruner (both Pilsner), or Franziskaner Hefeweizen. The best dark beer is Torgauer. Or you can do the smart thing and try every kind of beer they have.

Try not to get too drunk if you plan to take a riverboat cruise. They may not let you on.

Dresden offers a good variety of restaurants. Most are reasonably priced (rather cheap). The most expensive and exclusive area is near the church of our lady, between the church and the river. If you love meat, try finding a good Greek restaurant.

Oh, one more thing. A Wienerschnitzel is not a sausage, it’s a breaded beaten pork cutlet. Try it, its excellent. Other German specialties include, Rouladen, Sauerbraten, Knoedel (actually a Czech specialty) and Jagerschnitzel. If you are vegetarian your choices will be very limited. They do have vegetarian restaurants but I wouldn’t know much about that.

Restaurants in New Town

Café Europa (Konigsbrucker Str. 68) offers some unique foods in a nice ambience. The have very good prices and some unique creations.

The Kartoffelkeller (Nieritzstr. 11) offers everything you can imagine and something you cannot made out of potatoes. It is one of my favorites.

The Silberstolln (Hauptstr. 1a) has a mining theme. You can get some unique dishes here.

Best Beergardens

Brauhaus am Waldschlosschen (Am Brauhaus 8b). My absolute No. 1 beergarden and brewery. It offers fantastic foods and a wonderful view of the River Elbe from above.

Schillergarten (Schillerplatz 9). A nice inexpensive beergarden close to the Schillerplatz. You can watch steamboats unload their passengers from here.

Radeberger Spezialausschank (Terrassenufer 1) Location, Location, Location and Radeberger, one of the best beers ever (now at Beverages and More).

Lodging

As for lodging, just drive around. You will see plenty of signs. I would recommend staying with a small private Bed and Breakfast (Usually called Pension or Fremdenzimmer or Zimmer). They are very friendly and very affordable.