Dresden
Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...
is a cultural centre in Germany which has influenced the development of European culture. "It is
..outstanding as a cultural landscape, an ensemble that integrates the celebrated Baroque setting and suburban garden city into an artistic whole within the river valley, and as an example of land use, representing an exceptional development of a major Central-European city."
Dresden is today reestablishing the cultural importance it held from the 19th century up until the 1920s when it was a centre of both fine and visual arts, architecture and music. During that period, famous artists such as
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...
,
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (6 May 1880 – 15 June 1938) was a German Expressionism, expressionist Painting, painter and printmaker and one of the founders of the artists group Die Brücke or "The Bridge", a key group leading to the foundation of Expr ...
,
Otto Dix
Wilhelm Heinrich Otto Dix (; 2 December 1891 – 25 July 1969) was a German painter and Printmaking, printmaker, noted for his ruthless and harshly realistic depictions of German society during the Weimar Republic and the brutality of war. Alon ...
,
Oskar Kokoschka
Oskar Kokoschka (1 March 1886 – 22 February 1980) was an Austrian artist, poet, playwright and teacher, best known for his intense expressionistic portraits and landscapes, as well as his theories on vision that influenced the Viennese Expre ...
,
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss (; ; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer and conductor best known for his Tone poems (Strauss), tone poems and List of operas by Richard Strauss, operas. Considered a leading composer of the late Roman ...
,
Gottfried Semper
Gottfried Semper (; 29 November 1803 – 15 May 1879) was a German architect, art critic, and professor of architecture who designed and built the Semper Opera House in Dresden between 1838 and 1841. In 1849 he took part in the May Uprising in ...
and
Gret Palucca
Gret Palucca (born Margarethe Paluka; 8 January 1902 – 22 March 1993) was a German dancer and dance teacher, notable for her dance school, the Palucca School of Dance, founded in Dresden in 1925.
Life and work
Margarethe Paluka was born in M ...
were active in the city. Dresden also is home to several important art collections, world-famous musical ensembles and significant buildings from various architectural periods, many of which were rebuilt after the destruction of the Second World War.
Nowadays Dresden once more attracts international artists such as
Fabio Luisi
Fabio Luisi (born 17 January 1959) is an Italian conductor. He is currently principal conductor of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and chief conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra.
Biog ...
,
Daniel Libeskind
Daniel Libeskind (born May 12, 1946) is a Polish–American architect, artist, professor and set designer. Libeskind founded Studio Daniel Libeskind in 1989 with his wife, Nina, and is its principal design architect.
He is known for the design a ...
and
Norman Foster
Norman Robert Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank (born 1 June 1935) is an English architect. Closely associated with the development of high-tech architecture, Lord Foster is recognised as a key figure in British modernist architecture. Hi ...
to work in and for the cultural life of the city.
Musical ensembles
The
Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden
The Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden (), or Saxon State Orchestra Dresden, is one of the oldest orchestras in the world, created by order of Maurice, Elector of Saxony in 1548. Under communist East Germany and until 1992 it was called Staatskap ...
is the orchestra of the
Saxon State Opera and was founded in 1548. It is one of the oldest orchestras and is known as ''Strauss-Orchestra''. Nevertheless the musical ensemble was also moulded by
Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (5 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and Music criticism, critic in the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Best known for List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber, h ...
and
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...
as its conductors.
The
Dresdner Kreuzchor
The Dresdner Kreuzchor is the boys' choir of the Kreuzkirche in Dresden, Germany. It has a seven-century history and a world-wide reputation. Today, the choir has about 150 members between the ages of 9 and 19, from Dresden and the surroundin ...
(Choir of The Cross) is a boy's choir. It consists of pupils of the
Kreuzschule
The ''Kreuzschule'' (German for "School of the Cross") in Dresden (also known by its Latin name, ''schola crucis'') is the oldest surviving school in Dresden and one of the oldest in Germany. As early as 1300, a schoolmaster (''Cunradus puerorum re ...
, which is a
Gymnasium today; the Kreuzchor is the choir of the
Kreuzkirche
The Dresden Kreuzkirche (Church of the Holy Cross) is a Protestant Church in Germany (EKD), Lutheran church in Dresden, Germany. It is the main church and seat of the ''Landesbischof'' of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Saxony, and the larges ...
. Choir, church and school were first mentioned in the 13th century and are as old as the city of Dresden. The "Dresdner Kapellknaben" (which are not related to the Staatskapelle) are the choir of the Catholic cathedral.
The
Dresden Philharmonic
The Dresdner Philharmonie (Dresden Philharmonic) is a German symphony orchestra based in Dresden. Its principal concert venue is the '' Kulturpalast''. The orchestra also performs at the Kreuzkirche and the Frauenkirche Dresden. It receive ...
is the orchestra of the city of Dresden. It was founded in 1870, originally called the ''Gewerbehausorchestra'', and renamed in 1915.
The is a
symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning c ...
orchestra and a newcomer to the international musical ensembles in Dresden. The orchestra was founded in 1996 and became notable for its
crossover
Crossover may refer to:
Entertainment
Music
Albums
* ''Cross Over'' (album), a 1987 album by Dan Peek, or the title song
* ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987
* ''Crossover'', an album by Intrigue
* ''Crossover'', an album by ...
of classic and modern music and for its cooperation with the
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music h ...
creating a soundtrack for the 1925 silent film ''
Battleship Potemkin
'' Battleship Potemkin'' (, ), sometimes rendered as ''Battleship Potyomkin'', is a 1925 Soviet silent epic film produced by Mosfilm. Directed and co-written by Sergei Eisenstein, it presents a dramatization of the mutiny that occurred in 1905 ...
'' and releasing the
album of that name.
La Folia Barockorchester is a chamber orchestra focused on compositions played at the Dresden court.
Museums, presentations and collections

Dresden hosts the renowned
Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Dresden State Art Collections). The art collections consist of twelve museums, of which the
Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister
The (, ''Old Masters Gallery'') in Dresden, Germany, displays around 750 paintings from the 15th to the 18th centuries. It includes major Italian Renaissance painting, Italian Renaissance works as well as Dutch Golden Age painting, Dutch and F ...
and the
Grünes Gewölbe
The Green Vault (; ) is a museum located in Dresden, Germany, which contains the largest treasure collection in Europe. The museum was founded in 1723 by Augustus II the Strong, Augustus the Strong of Poland and Electorate of Saxony, Saxony, and f ...
are the best known. This cultural institution is owned by the Free State of Saxony. Many of its museums are located in
Dresden Castle
Dresden Castle or Royal Palace ( or ) is one of the oldest buildings in Dresden, Germany. For almost 400 years, it was the residence of the electors (1547–1806) and List of rulers of Saxony, kings (1806–1918) of Kingdom of Saxony, Saxony from ...
and the
Zwinger Palace
The Zwinger (, ) is a palatial complex with gardens in Dresden, Germany. Designed by architect Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann, it is one of the most important buildings of the Baroque period in Germany. Along with the Frauenkirche, the Zwinge ...
. Some of the museums, such as the
Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon
The Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon (, ''Royal Cabinet of Mathematical and Physical Instruments'') in Dresden, Germany, is a museum of historic clocks and scientific instruments. Its holdings include terrestrial and celestial globes, astronomic ...
(Royal Cabinet of Mathematical and Physical Instruments), exhibit art within the context of technology, such as globes, measuring equipment and chronographs. Also known are
Galerie Neue Meister
The (, ''New Masters Gallery'') in Dresden, Germany, displays around 300 paintings from the 19th century until today, including works from Otto Dix, Edgar Degas, Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet. The gallery also exhibits a number of sculpture ...
(New Masters Gallery),
Rüstkammer (Armoury) with the
Turkish Chamber, and the
Museum für Völkerkunde Dresden (Museum of Ethnology).
Other museums and collections owned by the Free State of Saxony in Dresden are:
* The Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte (State Museum of Prehistory)
* The Staatliche Naturhistorische Sammlungen Dresden (State Collection of Natural History)
* The "Universitätssammlung Kunst + Technik" (Collection of Art and Technology of the Dresden University of Technology)
*
Verkehrsmuseum Dresden
The Dresden Transport Museum (German: Verkehrsmuseum Dresden) displays
vehicles of all modes of transport, such as railway, shipping, road and air traffic, under one roof.
The museum is housed in the Johanneum at the Neumarkt in Dresden. The Jo ...
(Transport Museum)
Dresden hosts the
Bundeswehr Military History Museum
The Bundeswehr Military History Museum () is the military museum of the German Armed Forces, the ''Bundeswehr'', and one of the major military history museums in Germany. It is located in a former military arsenal in the Albertstadt which is par ...
in the former garrison in the Albertstadt. The book museum of the
Saxon State Library
The Saxon State and University Library Dresden (full name in ), abbreviated SLUB Dresden, is located in Dresden, Germany. It is both the regional library () for the German State of Saxony as well as the academic library for the Dresden Universi ...
presents the famous
Dresden Codex
The ''Dresden Codex'' is a Maya book, which was believed to be the oldest surviving book written in the Americas, dating to the 11th or 12th century. However, in September 2018 it was proven that the Maya Codex of Mexico, previously known as th ...
.
The former convention house of the
Farmer's Estate (called the
Landhaus) is now the home of the
Dresden City Museum
Dresden City Museum () is the central city museum for the German city of Dresden. Its displays tell the 800-year story of the city and is the largest and most important of the Dresden City Museums (''Städtischen Museen Dresden''). Its art collec ...
, which exhibits a collection of historical objects and has a smaller collection of paintings. The city has some museums specialising in artists who lived in the city (for example the and the . Another museum, the ''Technische Sammlungen'' (Technical Collection) was established in the Pentacon building, the old factory where ''Praktika'' cameras were once built. The collection includes historic cameras, computing technology and entertainment technology.
The
Deutsches Hygiene-Museum
The German Hygiene Museum () is a medical museum in Dresden, Germany. It conceives itself today as a "forum for science, culture and society". It is a popular venue for events and exhibitions, and is among the most visited museums in Dresden, wit ...
was founded for mass education in hygiene, health, human biology and medicine. It stood in context of the Dresden industry of medicine and hygiene products and was founded by the industrialist , who produced ' hygiene products. The museum's ''
Gläserne Frau'', showing the organs of human beings as a see-through sculpture, became world famous. During
Nazism
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...
, the museum diffused
racist theories. A 1934 poster of the museum showed a man with distinctly African features and reads, "If this man had been sterilized there would not have been born ... 12 hereditarily diseased." (sic)
["Nazi racial purity exhibit opens in Germany"]
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Media Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's various operations r ...
/ AP, 9 October 2006
According to the current director Klaus Vogel, "The Hygiene Museum was not a criminal institute in the sense that people were killed here," but "it helped to shape the idea of which lives were worthy and which were worthless."
Architecture

Although Dresden is often said to be a Baroque city, its architecture is influenced by more than one style. Other eras of importance are the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
and
Historism
Historism () is a philosophical and historiographical theory, founded in 19th-century Germany (as ) and especially influential in 19th- and 20th-century Europe. In those times there was not a single natural, humanistic or philosophical science t ...
as well as the contemporary styles of
Modernism
Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...
and
Postmodernism
Postmodernism encompasses a variety of artistic, Culture, cultural, and philosophical movements that claim to mark a break from modernism. They have in common the conviction that it is no longer possible to rely upon previous ways of depicting ...
.
Royal household

The royal buildings are among the most impressive buildings in Dresden.
Dresden Castle
Dresden Castle or Royal Palace ( or ) is one of the oldest buildings in Dresden, Germany. For almost 400 years, it was the residence of the electors (1547–1806) and List of rulers of Saxony, kings (1806–1918) of Kingdom of Saxony, Saxony from ...
was once the home of the royal household. The wings of the building have been renewed, built upon and restored many times. Due to this segued integration of styles, the castle includes elements of the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
,
Baroque
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
and
Classicist
Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...
styles.
The
Zwinger Palace
The Zwinger (, ) is a palatial complex with gardens in Dresden, Germany. Designed by architect Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann, it is one of the most important buildings of the Baroque period in Germany. Along with the Frauenkirche, the Zwinge ...
is just across the road from the castle. It was built on the old stronghold of the city and was converted to a centre for the royal art collections and a place to hold festivals. Its gate (surmounted by a golden crown) by the moat is a notable part of the building.
Another notable site is also on the former city wall:
Brühl's Terrace
Brühl's Terrace () is a historic architectural ensemble in Dresden, Germany. Nicknamed "The Balcony of Europe", the terrace stretches high above the bank of the river Elbe, and is located north of the recently rebuilt Neumarkt Square and the F ...
was a gift to
Heinrich von Brühl
Heinrich, Count von Brühl (, 13 August 170028 October 1763), was a Polish-Saxon statesman at the court of Electorate of Saxony, Saxony and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and a member of the powerful German von Brühl family. The incumbenc ...
and became an ensemble of buildings. It was opened to the public in the 19th century; previously the whole area had been reserved for the nobility. The ensemble includes the
Albertinum
The Albertinum () is a modern art museum. The sandstone-clad Renaissance Revival architecture, Renaissance Revival building is located on Brühl's Terrace in the historic center of Dresden, Germany. It is named after King Albert, King of Saxony, A ...
, the
Sächsisches Ständehaus and the Secundogenitur (home of the second son of the electors and kings).
August the Strong
Augustus II the Strong (12 May 1670 – 1 February 1733), was Elector of Saxony from 1694 as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1697 to 1706 and from 1709 until his death in 1733. He belonged to the Albertine branch of the H ...
was very impressed by Venice with its
Canal Grande
The Grand Canal ( , locally and informally ; , locally usually ) is the largest Channel (geography), channel in Venice, Italy, forming one of the major water-traffic corridors in the city.
One end of the canal leads into the Venetian Lagoon, ...
and decided to model the
Dresden Elbe Valley
The Dresden Elbe Valley is a cultural landscape and former World Heritage Site stretching along the Elbe river in Dresden, the state capital of Saxony, Germany. The valley, extending for some and passing through the Dresden Basin, is one of two m ...
on this example using the Elbe's ample bends. Nevertheless he initiated the creation of a
cultural landscape
Cultural landscape is a term used in the fields of geography, ecology, and heritage studies, to describe a symbiosis of human activity and environment. As defined by the World Heritage Committee, it is the "cultural properties hatrepresent the c ...
which became a
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
since 2004 and which differs from the Canal Grande with its meadows and forested yards. This landscape hosts vineyards not far away from the inner city. The World Heritage Site passes through almost the whole city. Due to conflicts involving a modern bridge to be built across the river at a sensitive spot, the site has been added to the list of endangered World Heritage sites.
Pillnitz Castle
Pillnitz Palace () is a restored Baroque architecture, Baroque castle at the eastern end of the city of Dresden in the German state of Saxony. It is located on the right bank of the River Elbe in the former village of Pillnitz. It was the summer ...
was built as a summer residence in the style of
Chinoiserie
(, ; loanword from French '' chinoiserie'', from '' chinois'', "Chinese"; ) is the European interpretation and imitation of Chinese and other Sinosphere artistic traditions, especially in the decorative arts, garden design, architecture, lite ...
alongside the Elbe on the southern side and the slopes and vineyards on the other.
Religious buildings

The
Hofkirche was the church of the royal household. August the Strong, who wanted to become
King of Poland
Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of Royal elections in Poland, free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electab ...
, was forced to convert to the Catholic religion, as the Polish king had to be Catholic. At that time Dresden was strictly Protestant. August the Strong ordered the building of the Hofkirche (1739 to 1755) to establish a sign of religious importance in Dresden. The church is the
cathedral
A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...
"Sanctissimae Trinitatis" since 1980. The staggered facade is completed by two balustrades that are decorated width 74 statues of saints. The church hosts the crypt of the
Wettin Dynasty
The House of Wettin () was a dynasty which included Saxon kings, prince-electors, dukes, and counts, who once ruled territories in the present-day German federated states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The dynasty is one of the oldest ...
.
The
Frauenkirche was built by the citizens of Dresden between 1726 and 1743. It is said to be the greatest cupola building in central and northern Europe. Furthermore, the Frauenkirche is the largest church in Dresden, leading Dresden to be one of the few places where a cathedral is not the largest Christian sacral building. The
basilica
In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...
of
Santa Maria della Salute
Santa Maria della Salute (; ), commonly known simply as La Salute (), is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica located at the Punta della Dogana in the Dorsoduro sestiere of the city of Venice, Italy.
It stands on the narrow finger of Pun ...
in Venice is said to be a model for the Frauenkirche whose cupola was originally planned as a timber construction. During this period, architectural style in Dresden was significantly inspired by Venice, Florence and other landmarks in northern Italy.
The Kreuzkirche is another main church of the Protestants and is the oldest established church building of Dresden . The community of the Frauenkirche, which is in fact a few years older, was formerly located in the outskirts of the city. The Kreuzkirche has often been destroyed by conflagration and wars. The preserved style of architecture is that of the baroque edition supplemented by the elements of the
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...
.
Contemporary architecture
Dresden has been an important site for the development of contemporary architecture for centuries, and this trend has extended into the 20th and 21st centuries.
Historicist
Historicism is an approach to explaining the existence of phenomena, especially social and cultural practices (including ideas and beliefs), by studying the process or history by which they came about. The term is widely used in philosophy, ant ...
buildings made their presence felt on the cityscape until the 1920s. One of the most recent buildings of that era is the Hygiene-Museum, which is designed in an impressively monumental style but employs plain facades and simple structures. It is often but wrongly attributed to the
Bauhaus
The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the , was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined Decorative arts, crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., ...
school.

The architectural plans of the
National Socialist
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was frequen ...
regime for the city were not realised. As in Berlin, where Nazi architects planned the monumental restructuring of the city as "Germania, Capital of the World", large-scale buildings next to the
Großer Garten
The Großer Garten (English: Great Garden) is a Baroque style park in central Dresden. It is rectangular in shape and covers about 1.8 km2. Originally established in 1676 on the orders of John George III, Elector of Saxony, it has been a pu ...
park were meant to establish Dresden as a subsidiary, regional capital. Some of the contemporary buildings were found to be "un-German". Among them was the ''Kugelhaus'' (Globe House) which was torn down. Along with older constructions, many modern buildings were destroyed in the Second World War.
Most of the present cityscape of Dresden was built up after 1945, a mix of reconstructed or repaired old buildings and new buildings of the modern and postmodern styles of the second half of the 20th century.
Under the
German Democratic Republic
East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
, Dresden was planned and reconstituted as a model socialist city. Streets were arranged to keep chimneys of industry in sight. Wide streets and squares were cut into the landscape. Central public spaces, such as the Altmarkt, were surrounded by neoclassical
Socialist Realist structures of relatively high quality. Other structures were built with less sensitivity toward their historic or geographic context, for example the housing block at Prager Straße. Other buildings, including the
Kulturpalast
The Kulturpalast Dresden () is a modernist building built by Wolfgang Hänsch during the era of the German Democratic Republic. It was the largest multi-purpose hall in Dresden when it opened in 1969, and was used for concerts, dances, conferences ...
or the Centrum-Warenhaus (a large department store), represent the
international style
The International Style is a major architectural style and movement that began in western Europe in the 1920s and dominated modern architecture until the 1970s. It is defined by strict adherence to Functionalism (architecture), functional and Fo ...
. Much of the new public architecture was influenced by public outcry and protest; the Kulturpalast, for example, was first planned as monumental tower like the Warsaw
Palace of Culture and Science
The Palace of Culture and Science (; abbreviated ''PKiN'') is a notable high-rise building in central Warsaw, Poland. With a total height of , it is the second tallest building in both Warsaw and Poland (after the Varso Tower), the sixth talle ...
but arranged in a flatter form in context of the historic buildings.
After 1990 and
German reunification
German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...
, new styles emerged. The Saxon State Parliament was under construction until 1993 and uses the old part of the former financial ministry in combination with a new wing of glass and steel in classic modern style. It represents the beginning of the so-called New Terrace (extending Brühl's Terrace). The youngest building of that ensemble alongside the river Elbe is the International Congress Center Dresden which is a postmodern building mirroring motifs of the historic terrace and of the Elbe landscape.

The New Synagogue, at the other end of the old city, is another award-winning contemporary structure. Built almost completely of stone, its vertical edges are sloped, to reflect Jewish religious rites.

The nearby UFA-Kristallpalast cinema is a recent design by the firm
Coop Himmelb(l)au
Coop Himmelb(l)au (a pun meaning '' Coop Sky Building'' and ''Coop Sky Blue'') is an architecture, urban planning, design and art firm founded in 1968 by Wolf D. Prix, Helmut Swiczinsky and Michael Holzer in Vienna, Austria.
History
Coop Hi ...
. It is one of the largest
deconstructivist
Deconstructivism is a postmodern architectural movement which appeared in the 1980s. It gives the impression of the fragmentation of the constructed building, commonly characterised by an absence of obvious harmony, continuity, or symmetry. ...
buildings in Germany. Another deconstructivist project been planned for Dresden by
Daniel Libeskind
Daniel Libeskind (born May 12, 1946) is a Polish–American architect, artist, professor and set designer. Libeskind founded Studio Daniel Libeskind in 1989 with his wife, Nina, and is its principal design architect.
He is known for the design a ...
: the Military History Museum in the classicist Arsenal building which is currently under reconstruction. Libeskind has designed an arrow breaking through the building in the direction of the inner city, symbolising the flight formations during the bombardment of Dresden 1945— appropriate to the context of the military museum that has existed in that building since 1918. The transparent new facade is in foreground of the solid old facade and creates a contrast that emblematises open and democratic society and the new role of its armed forces in contrast to the historic past.
[Studio Daniel Libeskind]
Military History Museum project description
Norman Foster
Norman Robert Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank (born 1 June 1935) is an English architect. Closely associated with the development of high-tech architecture, Lord Foster is recognised as a key figure in British modernist architecture. Hi ...
is responsible for the final stage of the reconstruction of the
Dresden Hauptbahnhof
Dresden Hauptbahnhof ("main station", abbreviated Dresden Hbf) is the largest passenger station in the Saxon capital of Dresden. In 1898, it replaced the ''Böhmischen Bahnhof'' ("Bohemian station") of the former Saxon-Bohemian State Railway ('' ...
train station. He designed a new teflon roof using the old steel girders and a new glass cupola of the entrance hall. The large white housetop is a unique landmark that can be seen from many positions on the slopes above the Elbe valley.
The
Saxon State Library
The Saxon State and University Library Dresden (full name in ), abbreviated SLUB Dresden, is located in Dresden, Germany. It is both the regional library () for the German State of Saxony as well as the academic library for the Dresden Universi ...
was built between 1998 and 2002 on the campus of the
Technische Universität Dresden
TU Dresden (for , abbreviated as TUD), also as the Dresden University of Technology, is a public research university in Dresden, Germany. It is the largest institute of higher education in the city of Dresden, the largest university in Saxony a ...
. It is mainly underground, with two cuboids rising up from below. While the walls are of other substances, glass is used extensively in the roof portion of the building. The central reading room extends two stories underground.
Technical buildings

Dresden is also known for some technical buildings. Most of them were built in the second half of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century. Two areas where there are technical buildings are Schillerplatz and Körnerplatz. These two places are named after
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, philosopher and historian. Schiller is considered by most Germans to be Germany's most important classical playwright.
He was born i ...
and
Carl Theodor Körner Carl may refer to:
*Carl, Georgia, city in USA
*Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
*Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name
*Carl², a TV series
* "Carl", an episode of tel ...
and are connected by the "
Blue Wonder
Loschwitz Bridge (') is a cantilever truss bridge over the river Elbe in Dresden the capital of Saxony in Germany. It connects the city districts of Blasewitz and Loschwitz, two affluent residential areas, which around 1900 were amongst the mos ...
" Elbe bridge. This bridge is one of the oldest
cantilever
A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is unsupported at one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cantilev ...
truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements, typically straight, may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...
s in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. It is often said to be called a Wonder because it spans the river without a pillar or due to its colour, which is sometimes said to have changed from green to blue.
Nearby, two
cable railway
A cable railway is a railway that uses a Wire rope, cable, rope or chain to haul trains. It is a specific type of cable transportation.
The most common use for a cable railway is to move vehicles on a Grade (slope), steeply graded line that is t ...
s connect Körnerplatz with two villa quarters. The
Standseilbahn Dresden is a funicular railway which travels up 95 metres and connects the districts of
Loschwitz
Loschwitz is a borough (''Geography and urban development of Dresden#City structuring, Stadtbezirk'') of Dresden, Germany, incorporated in 1921. It consists of ten quarters (''Stadtteile''):
Loschwitz is a villa quarter located at the slopes nor ...
and Weißer Hirsch. The
Schwebebahn Dresden
The Dresden Suspension Railway () is a suspended funicular located in Dresden, Germany, and connects the districts of Loschwitz and Oberloschwitz (Rochwitz side). It is one of the oldest suspension railways, having entered service on 6 May 19 ...
is the oldest
suspension railway
A suspension railway is a form of elevated monorail in which the vehicle is suspended from a fixed track (as opposed to a cable used in aerial tramways), which is built above streets, waterways, or existing railway track.
History
Experimental ...
in the world and connects the lower and upper parts of Loschwitz.
The city planner designed some industrial buildings in the city centre. His storage building near the Semperoper is adapted to neighbouring buildings by a dissected roof. Another building planned by Hans Erlwein is the slaughterhouse complex. This location became famous thanks to the novel ''
Slaughterhouse-Five
''Slaughterhouse-Five, or, The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death'' is a 1969 semi-autobiographic science fiction-infused anti-war novel by Kurt Vonnegut. It follows the life experiences of Billy Pilgrim, from his early years, to his ...
'' by
Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut ( ; November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American author known for his Satire, satirical and darkly humorous novels. His published work includes fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and five nonfict ...
.

Another well-known technical building is the
Yenidze
Yenidze is a former cigarette factory building in Dresden, Saxony, Germany built between 1907 and 1909. Today it is used as an office building. It is notable for its Moorish Revival exterior design which borrows design elements from mosques and ...
which was built as a cigarette factory. Its architecture is greatly influenced by marketing and orientally designed in an Oriental style to bring to mind the countries where tobacco comes from. Even the chimneys are styled like
minaret
A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...
s. At the time it was built, its architecture was controversial but today it is a
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
. It is used as offices.

The
Fernsehturm Dresden-Wachwitz
The Fernsehturm Dresden-Wachwitz is a TV tower in Dresden, Germany. It is situated on the ''Wachwitzer Elbhöhen'' and serves as a transmitting tower for television and radio broadcasts. Due to its visibility over large distances and its unusual f ...
is the city
TV tower
Radio masts and towers are typically tall structures designed to support antenna (radio), antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. There are two main types: guyed and self-supporting structures. They are among the ...
. It is 252 metres high and towers 373 metres above the valley.
There are several waterworks in the city. Most of them use water from the Elbe river. One of the oldest waterworks is the "Saloppe", which extracts fresh water from small rivers in the
Dresden Heath
The Dresden Heath () is a large forest in the city of Dresden, Germany. The heath is the most important recreation area in the city and is also actively forested. Approximately 6,133 hectares of the Dresden Heath are designated as a nature pre ...
forest.
Bridges
The place of the
Augustusbrücke between Altstadt and Neustadt in the centre of the city is the location of the oldest bridges in Dresden. A bridge at that place is already reported in the 13th century. Also reported are the demolitions of that bridge in floods of the past as appeared the last time yet in the March floods of 1845.
The first bridge passed by the river is the Loschwitzer Brücke (famously known as ''
Blaues Wunder
Loschwitz Bridge (') is a cantilever truss bridge over the river Elbe in Dresden the capital of Saxony in Germany. It connects the city districts of Blasewitz and Loschwitz, two affluent residential areas, which around 1900 were amongst the mos ...
''). The Albertbrücke at the border of the inner city is some kilometre downstream. The following bridges Carolabrücke, Augustusbrücke and Marienbrücke are in short distances.
The Marienbrücke is divided into a road/tram bridges and a railway bridge. It connects the two train station of most importance in Dresden
Hauptbahnhof
Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...
and
Dresden-Neustadt station
Dresden-Neustadt station () is the second largest railway station in the German city of Dresden after Dresden Hauptbahnhof and is also a stop for long-distance traffic. It is the junction for rail traffic on the northern side of the Elbe. It was ...
on the historic Leipzig-Dresdner railway and is as like the Carolabridge which hosts four lines of an important road and an extra double-track of the tram.
Sculptures, monuments and fountains
There are more than 300 fountains in Dresden.
Most of the wells serve only a decorative function, since there is a drinking water network in Dresden.
The
artesian aquifer
An artesian well is a well that brings groundwater to the surface without pumping because it is under pressure within a body of rock or sediment known as an aquifer. When trapped water in an aquifer is surrounded by layers of Permeability (ea ...
at Albertplatz is the only spring in Dresden that is run all-the-year due to its warm water. It was planned to produce fresh water for the Neustadt districts. About 3,900 litres per hour are flowing upwards the 240 metre depth well naturally by pressure.
Many springs in Dresden are historic monuments, such as the "Nymphenbad" in the Zwinger or the "Cholerabrunnen". The "" was financed by
Eugen von Gutschmid in thanks that Dresden was untroubled by the
cholera
Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...
epidemics in the 1940s years.

Springs and fountains are also elements in contemporary cityspaces: Modern springs are arranged along the Prager Straße. Due to their styles of fountain, they are called "blowballs". The springs alongside the Hauptbahnhof train station are above the glass ceiling of an underground parking.
A prominent sculpture in Dresden is the golden equestrian sculpture of
Augustus II the Strong
Augustus II the Strong (12 May 1670 – 1 February 1733), was Elector of Saxony from 1694 as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1697 to 1706 and from 1709 until his death in 1733. He belonged to the Albertine branch of the H ...
called the " (Golden Cavalier)" on the Neustädter Markt square. It shows August at the beginning of the Hauptstraße (Main street) on his way to Warsaw where he was elected King of Poland. Another sculpture is the memorial of
Martin Luther
Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...
in front of the Frauenkirche.
File:Goldener Reiter Dresden Germany.JPG, The ''Goldener Reiter'', an equestrian sculpture of Augustus II the Strong
Augustus II the Strong (12 May 1670 – 1 February 1733), was Elector of Saxony from 1694 as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1697 to 1706 and from 1709 until his death in 1733. He belonged to the Albertine branch of the H ...
File:Apel hofnarr.JPG, the Jester
A jester, also known as joker, court jester, or fool, was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch kept to entertain guests at the royal court. Jesters were also travelling performers who entertained common folk at fairs and town ma ...
Augustus the Strong by
Others
* Kunsthofpassage in the
Outer Neustadt
* Dresden Fair Ground in the New Slaughterhouses in the Ostragehege
* Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion and Heinz-Steyer-Stadion
* The Old Slaughterhouses
* Pfunds Molkerei
*
Panometer (''panorama'' + ''
gasometer
A gas holder or gasholder, also known as a gasometer, is a large container in which natural gas or town gas (coal gas or formerly also water gas) is natural gas storage, stored near atmospheric pressure at room temperature, ambient temperatures. ...
'') in Reick
Dresden-Hellerau – Germany's first garden city

The
garden city of
Hellerau
Hellerau is a northern quarter ''(Stadtteil)'' in the city of Dresden, Germany, slightly south of Dresden Airport. It was the first garden city in Germany. The northern section of Hellerau absorbed the village of Klotzsche, where some 18th cent ...
, at that time a suburb of Dresden, was founded in 1909 according to the principles postulated by the British reformer
Ebenezer Howard
Sir Ebenezer Howard (29 January 1850 – 1 May 1928) was an English urban planner and founder of the garden city movement, known for his publication '' To-Morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform'' (1898), the description of a utopian city in wh ...
. It was built by renowned architects and artists, amongst them
Hermann Muthesius
Adam Gottlieb Hermann Muthesius (20 April 1861 – 29 October 1927), known as Hermann Muthesius, was a German architect, author and diplomat, perhaps best known for promoting many of the ideas of the English Arts and Crafts movement within German ...
,
Heinrich Tessenow
Heinrich Tessenow (7 April 1876 – 1 November 1950) was a German architect, professor, and urban planner active at the time of the Weimar Republic.
Biography
Tessenow is considered together with Hans Poelzig, Bruno Taut, Peter Behrens, ...
,
Theodor Fischer
Theodor Fischer (28 May 1862 – 25 December 1938) was a German architect and teacher.
Career
Fischer planned public housing projects for the city of Munich beginning in 1893. He was the joint founder and first chairman of the Deutscher W ...
and
Wilhelm Kreis
Wilhelm Kreis (17 March 1873 – 13 August 1955) was a prominent German architect and professor of architecture, active through four political systems in German history: the Wilhelmine era, the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, and the found ...
. In 1911 Tessenow built the Hellerau
Festspielhaus (festival theatre) for the Swiss music educator
Émile Jaques-Dalcroze
Émile Jaques-Dalcroze (6 July 1865 – 1 July 1950) was a Swiss composer, musician, and music educator who developed Dalcroze eurhythmics, an approach to learning and experiencing music through movement. Dalcroze eurhythmics influenced Carl O ...
and Hellerau became a centre of modernism with international standing until the outbreak of World War I. During the Third Reich, this area was infamous.
In 1950 Hellerau was incorporated into the city of Dresden. Today the Hellerau reform architecture is recognised as exemplary. In the 1990s the garden city of Hellerau became a
conservation area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...
.
Cinemas and cinematics
There still a lot of small cinemas and theatres of cinematic arts offering a programme of cult films and current films of low budget or weak promotion that were selected by their cultural worth. Dresden also has a couple of Multiplex Cinemas of which the Rundkino is the oldest. The cinema built in a circular building was out of order after the flooding of 2002 but was reopened in 2008.
Dresden has been a centre in the production of animated films and of the optical cinematic techniques. The Dresden Filmfest hosts a contest of
short subject
A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film or ...
s which is among the most endowed contests in Europe.
Literature
Dresden is a topic in
German-language literature
German literature () comprises those literary texts written in the German language. This includes literature written in Germany, Austria, the German parts of Switzerland and Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, South Tyrol in Italy and to a les ...
in various eras. Dresden was home to a number of authors or a place of their activities and influence.
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, philosopher and historian. Schiller is considered by most Germans to be Germany's most important classical playwright.
He was born i ...
published his
Ode to Joy
"Ode to Joy" ( ) is an ode written in the summer of 1785 by the German poet, playwright, and historian Friedrich Schiller. It was published the following year in the Thalia (German magazine), German magazine ''Thalia''. In 1808, a slightly revi ...
in Dresden which he began in Gohlis near Leipzig in 1785.
E. T. A. Hoffmann
Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann (born Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann; 24 January 1776 – 25 June 1822) was a German Romantic author of fantasy and Gothic horror, a jurist, composer, music critic and artist.Penrith Goff, "E.T.A. Hoffmann" in ...
's novella ''
The Golden Pot
''The Golden Pot: A Modern Fairy Tale'' () is a novella by E. T. A. Hoffmann, first published in 1814 and revised by the author in 1819. Hoffmann regarded it as his best story, and there is wide agreement among literary scholars that it is a maste ...
. A Modern Fairytale'' is set in Dresden and was published in 1814. ''The Golden Pot'' has parts of realistic descriptions of Dresden and fades into a surreal world of myths. Hoffmann witnessed the
Battle of Dresden
The Battle of Dresden (26–27 August 1813) was a major engagement of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle took place around the city of Dresden in modern-day Germany. With the recent addition of Austria, the Sixth Coalition felt emboldened in t ...
in 1813.
Erich Kästner
Emil Erich Kästner (; 23 February 1899 – 29 July 1974) was a German writer, poet, screenwriter and satirist, known primarily for his humorous, socially astute poems and for children's books including ''Emil and the Detectives'' and '' Lisa an ...
grow up in Dresden. He worked off his youth in Dresden (''
The Flying Classroom
''The Flying Classroom'' () is a 1933 novel for children written by the German writer Erich Kästner.
In the book Kästner took up the predominantly United Kingdom, British genre of the school story, taking place in a boarding school, and tr ...
'') and his military training in an artillery battalion in the Dresden
Albertstadt garrison (poem ''Sergeant Waurich'').
Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut ( ; November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American author known for his Satire, satirical and darkly humorous novels. His published work includes fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and five nonfict ...
's novel ''
Slaughterhouse-Five
''Slaughterhouse-Five, or, The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death'' is a 1969 semi-autobiographic science fiction-infused anti-war novel by Kurt Vonnegut. It follows the life experiences of Billy Pilgrim, from his early years, to his ...
'' describes the
bombing of Dresden in February 1945 seen from a slaughterhouse near the old city of Dresden. Vonnegut was prisoner of war in Dresden during that event.
Contemporary novelists who are active in Dresden include
Uwe Tellkamp
Uwe Tellkamp (; born 28 October 1968) is a German writer and physician. He practised medicine until 2004. Before the fall of communism, he was enlisted in the National People's Army as a tank commander and imprisoned when he refused to break up ...
and
Ingo Schulze
Ingo Schulze (born 15 December 1962) is a German writer born in Dresden in former East Germany. He studied classical philology at the University of Jena for five years, and, until German reunification, was an assistant director (dramatic arts a ...
. Both broach up the theme of "Mythos Dresden". Tellkamp is known for his novel ''Der Turm'' (''The Tower'') plotting the life of an academic family in its educated social environment (ivory tower society) of Dresden in the last seven years of former
East Germany
East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
.
Lifestyle

Dresden's heterogeneous cityspace strongly influences the lifestyle of the city. Dresden can change from very urban to very rural in just a short distance. Dresden is renowned for its many events and concerts.
The inner city is functionally split into a number of districts. The historic city centre serves as the most important tourist area and offers a variety of restaurants, bars, and pubs that are visited by tourists as well as the local inhabitants. The Seevorstadt, south of the historic town centre, is the most important shopping area in Dresden. It is crossed by the famous Prager Straße shopping street with large department stores and smaller shops. The intersection with the Altmarkt, which is the oldest market place in Dresden, extend this shopping area into the town centre. The Seevorstadt, with the main station and an important tram hub within a short distance, is also a very urban area of Dresden. The Neustadt is divided into the touristy Inner Neustadt and the Outer Neustadt. The Inner Neustadt offers a cornucopia of restaurants and retail shopping as well as important cultural institutions. The Outer Neustadt features importantly in Dresden night life. The Outer Neustadt is the centre of subcultural and youth culture in Dresden with many clubs, bars, small stages, and alternative culture institutions.
Dresden is awash with green during the spring and summer. The huge parks and the long Elbe meadows are used day and at night for sports, parties and cultural activities. Local recreation takes place in the nearby National Park of
Saxon Switzerland
Saxon Switzerland (, ) is a hilly climbing area and national park in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains. It is located around the Elbe valley south-east of Dresden in Saxony, Germany, adjoining Bohemian Switzerland in the Czech Republic. Toge ...
, in the Ore Mountains and in the countryside around Moritzburg, which are all close by. The cultural landscape of the
Dresden Elbe Valley
The Dresden Elbe Valley is a cultural landscape and former World Heritage Site stretching along the Elbe river in Dresden, the state capital of Saxony, Germany. The valley, extending for some and passing through the Dresden Basin, is one of two m ...
is a
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
but also part of the everyday life of many inhabitants. The site crosses the city and is passed through by commuter traffic, used in leisure time and libed in by tens of thousands of residents.
Dresden is a student city with its own infrastructure of event locations and cultural institutions. There are 16 student clubs in the Altstadt and Südvorstadt near the university.
Due to the Elbe river,
rowing
Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically a ...
and
canoeing
Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. In some parts of Europe, canoeing refers to both canoeing and kayaking, with a canoe being called an 'open canoe' or Canadian.
A few of the recreational ...
are popular leisure activities in Dresden. Dresden is a
chess
Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...
centre and was the host city of the
Chess Olympiad
The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams representing nations of the world compete. FIDE organises the tournament and selects the host nation. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, FIDE held an Online Chess Olympiad in FIDE Onli ...
in 2008. Night
inline skating
Inline skating is a multi-disciplinary sport and can refer to a number of activities practiced using inline skates. Inline skates typically have two to five polyurethane wheels depending on the style of practice, arranged in a single line by a ...
events are held every week in the summer.
The style of housing can vary strongly within Dresden. In some cases old village cores are only a few minutes away from urban districts. The city centre is enormously different compared with the southern outskirts of the city. The Outer Neustadt, with the highest density of inhabitants, is just a kilometre away from the Dresdner Heide forest in the north. The large area in the south eastern corner and its outskirts are the most densely populated areas. Districts like
Blasewitz
Blasewitz is a larger borough (''Stadtbezirk'') of Dresden, Germany in the city's eastern centre on the Elbe river. It consists of seven quarters (''Stadtteile''):
*Blasewitz
*Striesen-Ost
*Striesen-Süd
*Striesen-West
*Tolkewitz/Seidnitz-Nord
*S ...
or Striesen are covered with dotted housings and small garden areas around the houses. The Elbe slopes are covered with expensive villas. These contrast sharply with some areas such as the high-rise concrete blocks such as those in Gorbitz where living standards are low.
File:Wachwitz 20060623.jpg, Rural setting of Wachwitz along the Elbe river
File:Dresden-Striesen - View from Ernemannturm.jpg, Dotted housings in Striesen
File:Dresden Trachau.jpg, Wilhelminian styled enclosed housing in Trachau
File:Leuben - Neubaugebiet 1.jpg, Concrete blocks in Leuben
References
External links
*{{Official website, http://dresden.de/en/c_04.php