Tom`s travels: Dresden (16/07/2019)

When I went to visit Ania for a few days in July, I decided to do a few day trips from Berlin while she worked. My first one was to the city of Dresden, the capital of the state of Saxony to the southeast of Berlin. After an early wake-up, I headed to take a bus which is about three hours took me to Dresden, once known as the Jewel Box because of its Baroque and Rococo city center. Unfortunately, and I would see it as I walked through the city, it's historical area had been heavily bombed and was completely destroyed alongside the death of 25 thousand inhabitants during WWII. The bombing was and still is considered controversial as the city was considered a cultural center and had no strategic interest during the war. After being dropped off in the Neustadt, or new city, part of the city, to the north of the historic center, I decided to walk in the direction of the main landmarks. Its Baroque aspect was quite evident thanks to the grand reconstruction carried out after the war. A little while after I then reached the banks of the Elbe, the large river winding its way through Germany eventually entering the sea in the proximity of Hamburg. The river was quite large already at this point in its course however not as deep as its mouth. It is here, that, thanks to some signal boards indicating it, the famous Venetian painted Canaletto, had painted views of the city. The Baroque spires of the city center were a marvel to admire from this point. From there, I then headed onwards and crossed the Elbe river by walking over the Augustus Bridge built at the beginning of the 20th century. The first bridge in that location had been built already in the 12th century, then substituted by one during the 18th century. As I crossed over I started to approach the Schlossplatz, one of the city's main squares. Most of it was under construction so the view was not complete, however, I could now admire the Baroque architecture from up close. I first decided to visit the Hofkirche, Dresden's Cathedral; built during the 18th century it is one of the burial sites of the House of Wettin, including some Polish monarchs such as Augustus III of Poland. Designed by the Italian architect Gaetano Chiaveri it holds a nice bright interior with some elegant baroque decorations. The interesting thing about the building is that despite the population being predominantly Protestant, the ruler was Catholic and thus had the church built just for his own and other catholic officials' use. Badly damaged by the WWII bombings, it was then reconstructed and brought to its former aspect. From the church, I then followed one of the main streets lined by a beautiful mural called the Furstenzug. Originally painted 1871 and 1876 to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the Wettin Dynasty, Saxony's ruling family, it represents a mountain subsequent procession of rulers since the early times, starting with Margrave Conrad from the 12th century. To make it waterproof, between 1904 and 1907, it was substituted with Meissen porcelain ( the famous porcelain from the area) making it thus the largest porcelain artwork in the world at 102 meters in length. At the end of the street, I then reached the Neumarkt, probably the best-known square in the city. Almost completely destroyed during WWII, at its center stands the world-famous Frauenkirche which was closed at that moment so that meant I would come later to visit it. I walked further and then reached a staircase which brought me on top of the so-called Bruhl's Terrace, nicknamed the Balcony of Europe and stretching on the northern part of the old town along the bank of the Elbe river. Behind it stand some important buildings such as the Albertinum and Academy of Fine Arts which, as most of the city, have been restored to pre-war status. I admired the view from there and then descended back down through the old town reaching the Frauenkirche once again. It was now open so I decided to head and visit the interior. As mentioned, the church was completely destroyed during the war and left in ruin many years after. In 1994 a plan to reconstruct it was started and in eleven years the building was completed to show its original splendor. The interior which was reconstructed as last, featured beautiful whitewashed walls and paintings to imitate the original ones. Particularly impressive is the reconstructed baroque main altar and organ. After visiting the church, I headed onwards and reached the Dresden Castle, originally a Romanesque keep it was then expanded to become the residence of the electors and kings of Saxony and of Poland as well. It now consists of a museum complex comprising several collections that I decided to visit. After buying the combined ticket, I then entered through the southern entrance passing through a nice Renaissance covered courtyard which served as the main entrance for all the collections. I started out with the Green Vault, a world-famous museum, it is considered as one of the oldest in the world (the Vatican Museum being the oldest). It holds though the largest treasure collection in Europe, split among the so-called Old and New Green Vault. The historic part, which consists of the original green malachite rooms (restored after WWII) organized in 1723 under Augustus the Strong of Poland and Saxony, was unfortunately closed. Luckily though the rest was still open and as I walked through the collection, admired the beautiful objects displayed. There were some incredible pieces featured in gold, silver, and precious stones. Particularly noteworthy, among other amazing pieces, was a completely golden miniature set from 1708 representing the Grand Mogul's royal household in Delhi. From the New Green Vault, I then headed upstairs and entered several other rooms which consisted of the Dresden Armoury collection, one of the largest collections of ceremonial weapons, armor, and historical textiles. The collection followed a somewhat chronological order, starting from the 15th century all the way to the 18th century. Among the objects were some fine swords and armors some of which belonging to eminent figures. I particularly enjoyed the large room towards the end featuring parade and jousting figures dressed up with the original tournament clothing and weapons. Further on I passed yet another collection, also featuring weapons and amours but containing oriental pieces. Known as the Turkish Chamber, over the course of several centuries, diplomatic gifts, purchased objects, and booty gained in various battles against the Ottomans were assembled, creating one of the oldest and most significant collections of Ottoman art outside Turkey. From there I went onwards and decided to conclude my visit to the castle complex by climbing the Hausmannsturm, the castle's main tower. From there I had an incredible view of the surrounding old town and took the opportunity for some nice pictures. After my descent, and exiting the museum, I decided to have a stroll through the Zwinger complex right by the castle. The name usually a system used in the Middle Ages for a fortress part between the outer and inner fortress walls, however, the present case is actually a palatial complex with gardens and a clear example of the Baroque period. The gardens inside the complex were access-free, however, the buildings featured some important collections such as the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Picture Gallery), which I had specifically come to visit but to my dismay was closed due to restoration work. In light of this unfortunate circumstance, I decided then to head through the city and reach the train station, from where I was able to take a local S-Bahn train and reach the nearby town of Pirna. In just about 20 minutes, I then reached this historic town on the banks of the Elbe river. Built on top of a rock formation right above the river, it features a nice old town that was largely spared during WWII. The town is infamously known for the killing of 15000 people that was undertaken between 1940 and 1941. In fact, the castle overlooking the town, which had been turned into a hospital during the Napoleonic wars, was later turned into a euthanasia center by the Nazis who used the structure to kill those who were suffering from psychological disorders and intellectual disability and considered to be unworthy of life. As I got off the train, I walked through the city center and eventually reached the town's main square, the Am Markt. Surrounded by typical Central European Baroque and Neoclassical buildings it featured the town hall at its center. Close by, I then decided to visit the church of St Mary, built at the beginning of the 16th century in a late Gothic style. Its vaulted ceiling was quite impressive to look at. From the town's main church I started the ascent of the hill located to the east whose top was crowned by the aforementioned Sonnenstein castle. Nothing of its ancient structure remains, particularly due to the transformation it suffered when it was turned into a hospital at the beginning of the 19th century. Nowadays the structure remains as a memorial to the victims who were brutally murdered by the Nazi extermination machine. Despite the grimness of the site, the park which encircled the castle was a joy to walk through and happy distraction from the former events. Tall trees lined the pathways leading up and down and a great view could be admired from the southwestern side of the hill overlooking the old town. After enjoying the panorama for a while I decided to head back down through the old town and attempt to cross the bridge connecting the two banks of the river. From the top of the bridge, I had a nice vantage point from which I was able to admire the old town as a whole, from the old houses' rooftops to the castle's structure overlooking the city. I then decided to head back to the train station from where I was able to catch a ride swiftly taking me into Dresden once more. As I traversed the city once more, I gazed one last time at the impressive reconstructed buildings and walked again along the Elbe's bank to admire the cityscape from that vantage point. I then reached the Neustadt train station from where I waited for the bus which eventually took me back to Berlin.