Zwinger (Dresden)
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Dresden's urban area comprises the towns of Freital, Pirna, Radebeul, Meissen, Coswig, Radeberg and Heidenau and has around 790,000 inhabitants. The Dresden metropolitan area has approximately 1.34 million inhabitants. Dresden is the second largest city on the River Elbe after Hamburg.
- Hauptallee 10, 01219 Dresden, Germany
- 0351 4456600
- See Funky Buildings in the Kunsthofpassage. Görlitzer Str. 21-25, 01099 Dresden, Germany. Get directions. Phone +49 351 8105498. Web Visit website.
- Go for Baroque in the Grand Garden. Hauptallee 10, 01219 Dresden, Germany. Get directions. Phone +49 351 4456600. Web Visit website. If you luck out on a beautiful day in Dresden, there's no better place to enjoy it than the Grand Garden.
- Marvel at the Church of Our Lady. Dresden Frauenkirche, Neumarkt, 01067 Dresden, Germany. Get directions. Dresden’s Church of Our Lady, also known as the Frauenkirche, has a moving history: In World War II, when air-raids wiped out the city center, the grand church collapsed into a 42-foot high pile of rubble.
- Act Like Royalty at Zwinger Palace. Sophienstraße, 01067 Dresden, Germany. Get directions. Phone +49 351 49142000. Web Visit website. The Zwinger Palace is one of the most excellent examples of late Baroque architecture in Germany.
- Overview
- Seven highlights of visiting Dresden
- Where to go shopping in Dresden
- Where to eat in Dresden
- How to experience the city like a local
- Where to go in the evening
- Where to stay
- Essentials
After decades spent rebuilding from the rubble, the eastern German city is thriving, with beautifully reconstructed architecture, a hip art district and rolling Riesling vineyards.
This article was adapted from National Geographic Traveller (UK).
As sure as the River Elbe runs through Dresden, so too does an undercurrent of dignity and stoicism. Even without prior knowledge of the city’s history, you can feel it like a physical force emanating from Dresdeners, who, I learn, have plenty of reasons to be proud of their home. Located in eastern Germany, 30 miles from the Czech border, the Saxon city was bombed to near-oblivion by Allied forces six months before the end of the Second World War. Its baroque edifices were reduced to rubble and, under the Soviet control that followed, even more of the city was left to crumble and decay.
“We always say the Russians destroyed buildings more efficiently than any bombs,” says my guide, Susanne, with a wry smile. “Since the wall came down, we have rebuilt our city brick by brick.”
Perhaps the most pertinent example is the Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady), a beguiling sandstone masterpiece softly glowing golden in the sunlight. Until 1994, it remained a blackened ruin, but in the aftermath of German reunification in 1990, Dresdeners appealed to the world for funds to help resurrect their beloved church.
“We picked up every stone and worked out where it would have been,” Susanne says. “Like the world’s most difficult jigsaw puzzle.”
1. Zwinger: To visit the Zwinger is to dive into Dresden’s baroque heyday. Built as a party pad for royals in the 1700s, when Augustus the Strong sat on the throne (his own residence, Dresden Castle, stands behind the Zwinger and is also worth visiting), the lavish, sculpture-studded palace complex surrounds an enormous courtyard filled with fountains. It now houses three museums: the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Picture Gallery), in which hang celebrated artworks including Raphael’s Sistine Madonna; the Porzellansammlung (Porcelain Collection); and the Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon, which displays a curious collection of telescopes, clocks and globes.
2. Procession of Princes: This 335ft-long mural presents Saxony’s rulers as a procession of riders. The 24,000 porcelain tiles adorn the outside of the Stallhof, part of the Dresden Castle complex, and were among the only items in the vicinity to survive the bombing of February 1945. Porcelain can withstand temperatures of up to 1,000C, so while much of the city burned, Augustus and his ancestors rode on.
3. Kunsthofpassage: After the Berlin Wall came down, Kunsthofpassage, in Neustadt, was taken under the wing of a group of artists. The result: a series of refreshingly original street art. The most famous features interlinked drainpipes twisting and turning against a turquoise backdrop; when rain trickles through them, it produces a musical tinkle. Another building is adorned with a giant relief of a giraffe, plus monkeys swinging from window to window. Murals and art can be found all around the area, and a walking tour with guides like Susanne Reichelt offers an insider’s perspective.
4. Großer Garten: In Dresden’s biggest park, sprawling east from Altstadt, paths are overhung with horse chestnut trees and a small train chugs around the border. The real draw, though, is the crumbling baroque summer palace, built in 1680. In spring, a flower festival sees its rooms filled with plants, while each winter a local theatre company performs A Christmas Carol — Ein Weihnachtslied by candlelight.
5. German Hygiene Museum: This museum was founded by Karl Lingner, best known for manufacturing the mouthwash Odol. Far from focusing just on sanitation, however, the purpose of the space was to examine trends in science and culture. There are sections on life and death, nutrition, sex, movement and beauty, and recent exhibitions have included a thought-provoking look at the future of food.
6. On your bike: As Dresden is fairly flat, cycling is an easy way to cover lots of ground. Cycle to Blasewitz, a residential area full of pastel-hued 19th-century villas, before turning towards the river, where you’ll get a great view of the city’s three palaces — Albrechtsberg, Lingner and Eckberg — on the opposite bank. Many hotels provide bikes, or you can join a tour. Private guide and Dresden local Cosima Curth offers a four-hour cycle with multiple stop-offs for £150.
1. Pfunds Molkerei: Hand-painted tiles featuring dancing angels, cherubs, cows and woodland creatures adorn this dairy shop from floor to ceiling. After purchasing some cheese, head to the upstairs cafe for a lactose-laden snack (the cheesecake is particularly good) and a spot of people-watching. Cheese and wine (or milk) tastings are available, as are tours of the dairy — just be sure to book in advance.
2. Hauptstrasse: This tree-lined boulevard in Innere Neustadt, known as the baroque quarter, has shopping opportunities aplenty. Ignore the chain stores and keep your eyes peeled for the passages full of independent shops: try Goldschmiedewerkstatt Barbara Oehlke for handmade jewellery or Blumengalerie Dresden for plants and vases. Afterwards, head to Neustädter Markthalle for pop-up stalls, cafes and a supermarket with an excellent confectionery section.
1. Oswaldz: This is a cafe that takes pride in its coffee. Compact, cosy and with a courtyard looking out across the Elbe, Oswaldz stocks several blends from local roastery Phoenix, plus an excellent array of cakes. Come for the flat white and stay for the pastrami sandwiches and raspberry-and-beetroot cheesecake. But be prepared to wait — it’s a popular place, and queues regularly snake down the street.
2. Kulturwirtschaft: Opened last year in Kraftwerk Mitte, a disused factory-turned-cultural hub, Kulturwirtschaft does decadence better than any other restaurant in Dresden. If you can tear your eyes away from the chandeliers, silver vases, velvet armchairs and two grand pianos for long enough to peruse the menu (German with a nod to wider Europe), try the beef roulades with red cabbage and dumplings, or the goat’s cheese tart with roasted vegetables.
1. Vineyard visits: Dry whites from Dresden are among the country’s finest, but as a wine region, Saxony’s small size means it’s often overlooked. Its vineyards are as wonderful as the wines themselves: charming, often family-run affairs that serve up mulled white wine in winter and glasses of Goldriesling in summer. Head first to Hoflössnitz estate, with its half-timbered house, before moving on to Schloss Wackerbarth winery for a glass of Bacchus — both are in the suburb of Radebeul, only a 30-minute tram ride from the centre.
2. Feinbäckerei Rebs: At this popular bakery, local favourites include bauernbrot bread, glazed pastries and stollen. The latter is said to have originated in Dresden in 1329 and now has PGI (protected geographical indication) status. Only a select number of bakeries, including Feinbäckerei Rebs, can create these ‘official’ versions, which beat any supermarket imitations hands down.
1. Blue Note: Small, dimly lit and cosy, with a drinks menu as long as your arm, this local gem plays live jazz into the early hours to an enthralled crowd. Bands range from small-time outfits to national and even international artists, but whoever’s on stage, you’re guaranteed to have a good time. Arrive around 8pm to bag a choice seat by the bar.
2. Bautzner Tor: On entering this pub, you’ll be forgiven for wondering if you’ve accidentally walked into a museum, as its large central room is stuffed full of defunct East German gadgets. In fact, this is the official brewery tap of craft beer company Neustädter Hausbrauerei. Local beer in Dresden is excellent, so try whatever special is in season, as well as sampling the Rot, Helles and Hanf options, available year-round.
1. Am Schillerplatz Bed and Breakfast: This B&B has spotless rooms in the characterful environs of a 400-year-old home. It offers views of the Loschwitz Bridge, also known as the ‘Blaues Wunder’ (‘Blue Wonder’), a sky-hued steel structure connecting the districts of Blasewitz and Loschwitz. Don’t miss the farmers’ market that sets up outside on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
2. Penck Hotel Dresden: Local painter and sculptor A R Penck gained international recognition for his neo-expressionist pieces, reflective of tribal art. This design hotel houses countless artworks by the artist, including a gigantic sculpture rising from its rooftop. Rooms are ultra-modern, minimalist and sleek, and the location is ideal for inner-city wandering, located just five minutes from the old town.
Getting there & around
You can reach Dresden by train from London St Pancras, changing in Brussels and Frankfurt. There are no nonstop flights from the UK; instead, fly to Berlin and travel onwards by train (a two-hour journey). Berlin is typically served from various UK airports by British Airways, Lufthansa, Ryanair and EasyJet.
Average flight time: 2h.
The easiest way to get around the city is by bike or tram. Many hotels offer bicycles, or you can rent one from Roll on Dresden. The Dresden City Card covers tram and bus travel, as well as offering discounted entry into some museums.
When to go
The ideal time to visit Dresden is in winter, when bars sell steaming glasses of mulled wine, the smell of stollen wafts from bakeries and Christmas markets spring up across the city. For its annual wine festival, however, go in September — dates vary, but it’s normally held towards the end of the month.
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony ( Freistaat Sachsen) in eastern Germany. During DDR/GDR (East German) times Dresden was the capital of the district of Dresden. Today, with a population of over half a million, it is a thriving city as part of reunited Germany.
1067. Dresden Arpt Airport. Where is Dresden located? Find here Dresden location on Germany map also know interesting facts about the city.
Dresden is brimming with museums, historical relics and world-famous buildings like the Zwinger palace and the Semperoper. Be wowed when you explore this city!
Nov 15, 2022 · Located on the Elbe River in Saxony, Dresden's story is one of rebirth. Allied bombing leveled the city in 1945, but in the decades since the end of the war, renovations have restored the historical core into the vibrant city it was in the 18th century.
