Dresden

Thursday was spent in the city of Dresden, a beautiful city with incredible architecture. The city was heavily bombed during World War II; an Allied aerial bombing towards the end of the war killed 25,000 civilians and destroyed the entire city centre. The city has experienced dramatic changes since the reunification of Germany in the early 1990s and continues to undergo significant reconstruction.

Driving through the city on the bus, I just started snapping pictures...

We had a guided tour of the city starting with the Dresden Castle, one of the oldest buildings in the city.

 

The Dresden Castle is a museum complex that houses five museums and an art library. Most of the castle was reduced to a roofless shell during the February 13, 1945 bombing of Dresden. However, the art collections survived, having been moved to safety in the early years of the war.

 

Stable Courtyard (Dresden Castle)

 

The Fürstenzug (Procession of Princes), a large mural displayed on the outer wall of the Stable Courtyard of Dresden Castle depicting the rulers of Saxony. It was originally painted between 1871 and 1876. In order to make the work weatherproof, it was replaced with approximately 23,000 Meissen porcelain tiles between 1904 and 1907.

Dresden Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady) with a statue of Martin Luther in front. The church was originally Roman Catholic, but became a Protestant (Lutheran) church at the time of the Reformation. The church was destroyed in the bombing of Dresden during World War II. The remaining ruins were left as an anti-war memorial, following decisions of local East German leaders. The church was rebuilt after the reunification of Germany and completed in 2005.

 

Elbe River that was badly flooded just a few weeks earlier

Nice!

It was incredibly hot and humid in Dresden and our enthusiasm for what our tour guide described as ABC (Another Bloody Castle!) was in serious decline. So we found a cafe in the square and enjoyed a leisurely lunch in the shade.

 

 

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