Dresden: Symbol of the destruction of WWII reclaims its glory
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I was beginning to question my decision to visit Dresden as I approached the old city center. There seemed to be no end to the neglected, run-down pre-war buildings or Soviet-style block structures as I neared my destination — a parking garage underneath the Semperoper, Dresden’s famed opera house.
Could this really be the “Jewel on the Elbe” I had been reading about?
But when I left the parking garage and looked up in the direction of the Altstadt, the old city, I froze with amazement. Here stood the famous baroque buildings I had read about. Their presence was overwhelming. Festooned with spires and statues, many still showing signs of the bombing that consumed the city in World War II, the old buildings dominated the skyline and appeared to reach up toward the sky. It’s hard to believe that not very long ago there was nothing but rubble as far as the eye could see.
The name Dresden is synonymous with a city destroyed by bombing. Between Feb. 13 and 15, 1945, the city felt the impact of one of the greatest aerial bombardments of all time. Allied bombers dropped a mixture of high-explosive and incendiary bombs, creating a firestorm that resulted in the destruction of more than 90 percent of the city center.
The area remained a wasteland well into the 1950s when modest rebuilding efforts began. After the unification of Germany, the rebuilding efforts significantly increased, and today the Altstadt is about 85 percent restored. And the pace continues unabated. When I was there in June, construction cranes seemed to outnumber baroque spires.
Dresden is a top German tourist destination with more than 5 million visitors every year. During my short stay, I saw license plates from all over Europe, and English was the common language used by local and visitor alike. It is an easy city to explore: Attractions in the Altstadt are all within easy walking distances and the city also has many bike paths and places where visitors can rent bikes.
There is so much to see that the visitor can’t see it all in a day, so plan your trip accordingly. Churches, palaces, fortresses and gardens abound in and around the Altstadt and many of these attractions house multiple museums or exhibits. There are almost 50 museums to choose from, with exhibits ranging from medieval armor to modern art. Two of the most popular are the former royal jewel collection in the “Green Vault” on Brühl’s Terrace and the “Old Masters” art gallery in The Zwinger. The Zwinger also houses the largest porcelain collection in the world — much of it from nearby Meissen.
For a nominal fee, visitors have the opportunity to view the city from several of the spires and towers in the city. Most notable are the Frauenkirche atop the dome, the Royal Palace tower, the Kreuzkirche tower and the Dreikönigskirche tower.ytructure from which to view the city is the city hall tower. It was from the tower, ringed with 16 statues, that the famous photograph of one of the statues, “Die Gute,” was taken as it looked down at devastated Dresden. From the same vantage point today the visitor would see a vibrant, rebuilt city.
Königstrasse in the Neustadt district has some excellent places to eat as well as to view the way Dresden used to look. Next to the Frauenkirche is Münzgasse, which is lined with restaurants serving many types of cuisine. Just north of the Rathaus are several small streets and passages that are chock full of bistro, cafés and bars.
Neustadt is the district across the Elbe River from the Altstadt. It wasn’t badly damaged by the bombings, and has many attractions worth seeing. For example, Königstrasse will take the visitor back to the way Dresden used to look. The Hauptstrasse features the Blockhouse, an 18th structure built as a guard house that has a great view of the Altstadt across the river, and the Golden Rider, a statue that is one of the symbols of the city. Just off the Hauptstrasse is the Markthalle, a large building that is home to many shops. Its open architecture and wrought-iron interior take the visitor back to the 1890s.
Neustadt and the surrounding areas on the Elbe are also home to five palaces: the Japanese palace, Albrechtsberg palace, Lingnerpalace, Eckberg palace and Pillnitz palace. For a fantastic view of the Elbe valley, take the aerial cable car — considered the oldest in the world — to the Schöne Aussicht hotel. You can catch the cable car at the Körnerplatz on the Neustadt side of the river.
The must-see attraction of the city is the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady). A sandstone structure of baroque design, the huge dome building dominates the city skyline. The church survived the initial bombing, but was fatally weakened and it collapsed on Feb. 15, 1945. It remained a pile of rubble for almost 50 years. Starting in 1992, the city took more than 13 years to rebuild the Frauencirche at a cost of 183 million euros (about $231 million). Engineers used as many of the stones from the rubble as possible in the reconstruction, placing them in their original locations in the structure. Newer stones were cut from the same quarry where the original stones were taken in 1722.
The church was reconsecrated on Oct. 30, 2005, and opened to the public. The vaulted circular interior is so incredible you can hear gasps as visitors enter the church for the first time. Make sure you check out the original spire cross on the right side of the interior.
Before I left the city, I took a walk back to the Blockhouse in the Neustadt district. I wanted to get a final look at the Altstadt skyline.
The view still amazed me.
Know & Go
• Dresden is not close to most German military installations, and taking the train or driving will take several hours. For example, from Mannheim to Dresden by train is six hours, about 30 minutes less if you drive. If you drive, I would recommend you take a GPS with the hotel address programmed and let yourself be guided to your destination.
To get there by car, take Autobahn 6 to Nuremberg. At Nuremberg, take A9 to Hof, then A72 to Chemnitz, then A4 to Dresden. Take the Dresden-Altstadt off ramp to get to the city center.
• Check hotel availability and order online at www.dresden.de. I liked the L Hotel Dresden Altstadt, where you can get a room for two with breakfast for 103 euros.
If you want a room with a view of the Altstadt, then maybe the Westin is right for you. It’s across the river from the Altstadt and the back rooms have a fantastic view. That view, however ,is costly: cheapest double rooms at the Westin are 119 euros, without breakfast.
• The Frauenkirche is open to the public 10 a.m. to noon, and 1-6 p.m. on weekdays. On weekends times are shortened due to religious services.
• Near the Rathaus are several small streets and passages filled with bistros, cafés and bars. I had a very tasty crispy goose leg at the Gaensedieb café bar and restaurant on Weisse Gasse for the reasonable price of 12.95 euros. The restaurant is named after a famous city statue of a boy stealing geese, which is a stone’s throw away.
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