20121008620DR Dresden-Altstadt Theaterplatz Semperoper

The Theaterplatz (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

: Theatre Square) in

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 historic square in the city. It is located in the west of the inner old town.

Location

The Theaterplatz is the place in front of the Dresden Semperoper, the former court theater; its name is also derived from this. It is located on Sophie Street between Postplatz and the

Augustus Bridge The Augustus Bridge is a bridge in the city of Dresden, in the state Saxony in Germany. Crossing the river Elbe, the road bridge connects the Innere Neustadt in the north (right bank) with the historic city centre to the south (left bank). T ...

. It borders directly on the slope of the Elbe arch in front of Dresden's old town and is thus elevated above the Elbe. Via the driveway to the Augustusbrücke, a broad view over the Elbe and into the Dresdner Heath is possible from Theaterplatz. Major tourist destinations in the Old Town such as

Green Vault 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 the Strong of Poland and Saxony, and features a variety of exhibits in styles from B ...

, Neumarkt with the Church of Our Lady,

Semper Opera House The Semperoper () is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera) and the concert hall of the Staatskapelle Dresden (Saxon State Orchestra). It is also home to the Semperoper Ballett. The building is located on the T ...

are located in the immediate vicinity or within walking distance. Georg-Pettendorfer-Theaterplatz-Dresden-1905

Buildings

In contrast to the Old Market or Neumarkt, the Theaterplatz is not within the historic center, but west of the edge. Civil development is therefore very little at the theater square. Starting in the north, the Italian village separates the Theaterplatz from the

Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...

. The building is one of the youngest in the square and was built by Hans Erlwein. The more famous Erlweinspeicher, a technical structure, can also be seen from the Theaterplatz. In the southeast the Sophienstraße with the driveway to the Augustus Bridge separates the Italian village of the

Dresden Cathedral Dresden Cathedral, or the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Dresden, previously the Catholic Church of the Royal Court of Saxony, called in German ''Katholische Hofkirche'' and since 1980 also known as ''Kathedrale Sanctissimae Trinitatis'', is the ...

. It is the only completely baroque building on the square. A small alley separates the church from

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 ...

which has been widely expanded and redesigned. Also by the Sophienstraße Dresden Castle and Altstädtische Hauptwache as well as the

Zwinger A () is an open kill zone area between two defensive walls that is used for defensive purposes. s were built in the medieval and early modern periods to improve the defence of castles and town walls. The term is usually left untranslated, ...

are separated. The Altstädter Wache was designed by

Karl Friedrich Schinkel Karl Friedrich Schinkel (13 March 1781 – 9 October 1841) was a Prussian architect, urban planning, city planner and painter who also designed furniture and stage sets. Schinkel was one of the most prominent architects of Germany and designed b ...

and can therefore be assigned to the

Schinkel school The Schinkel school () was a German architectural style active from 1840 to the end of the 19th century. It is named after its head, Karl Friedrich Schinkel. See also * Rundbogenstil (round-arch style) is a 19th-century historic ...

. In the south-southwest the

Semper Gallery The Semper Gallery or Semper Building (German: Sempergalerie or Semperbau) in Dresden, Germany, was designed by the architect Gottfried Semper and constructed from 1847 until 1854. The long-stretched building in Neoclassical architecture, Neoclas ...

, which has a façade in the style of the Neoreneaissance, borders. In the northwest then closes the most famous work of

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 ...

: The

Semperoper The Semperoper () is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera) and the concert hall of the Staatskapelle Dresden (Saxon State Orchestra). It is also home to the Semperoper Ballett. The building is located on the Th ...

- which is now the third building in this place.

References