Last Friday I caught my first
night train bound for Dresden. After 8 ½ hours in a cell-like waggon cabin and
very little sleep, my family and I arrived bleary-eyed at the Dresden Main
Station. Catching a tram, we rather quickly located our hotel, dumped our
luggage, indulged in a cup of black milk coffee and were ready to start
exploring just as the lazy winter sun peaked over the horizon. Perfect light to
take pictures! As we strolled along the Elbe River, we admired the baroque
skyline of Dresden in the first rays of daylight.
The beautiful baroque-style buildings were cast into breath-taking relief as the glass dome of the Academy for Visual Arts and the impressive Frauenkirche reached into the sky. However, not all buildings are actually as old as their architecture suggests. A bombing by the Allied Forces in March 1945 destroyed great parts of Dresden, killing 35.000 people in a matter of hours. For days the city was on fire, firestorms of up to 1000°C razing through the streets. Rebuilding efforts after the war were slow as people were undecided on whether to restore the former baroque character of the city or to replace the ruins with modern buildings. Thankfully, the preservation committee won out and the baroque monuments were rebuilt or renovated.
Consequently, Dresden boasts such
architectural jewels as the Augustus Bridge, the Frauenkirche, the
Taschenbergpalais, the Semper Opera House and the Residenzschloss. Each of
these buildings holds its own unique history reminding visitors of Dresden’s
glory times under Friedrich August I (1694-1733), Elector of Saxony and King of
Poland, instead of the horrors of World War II. Nevertheless the fire of 1945
will never be forgotten. Of the sights we visited on the first day, I liked best the “Canaletto”-View which is a panorama point letting visitor’s see baroque Dresden through the same lense as Bernardo “Canaletto” Belotto when he painted his famous view of Dresden in 1765. However, simply strolling through the Altstadt of Dresden feels like a journey back into the 18th century with little indication of the fact that one is actually strolling through a restored 20th century baroque city quarter.
Categories:
Wheel of Travel
I wouldn't exactly call it a 'cell-like' cabin ;) Although I can also imagine sleeping on more comfortable ground.
But the rest is true, and you can see how much you are able to learn in only a few days about a city and its history.