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| The Bruhl Terrace |
Our first stop in Dresden was going to be the Frauenkirche,
the large, domed church in the center of the city, but upon arrival at their
doorsteps, we found it was closed for lunch. Our next stop was the Bruhl terrace along the river. These give Dresden the appearance of being a walled city, but
the fortifications are only along the riverside. They are elevated by about a
storey, and walking along them is almost like walking along a boardwalk at the
beach. The stoned walkway is wide to accommodate all the visitors to the area,
and it’s an easy method of travelling between the sites. The Semperoper (Opera
House), the Zwinger and the Residenzschloos (palaces), as well as the
Frauenkirche were all easily accessible from the terrace. Below the terrace is the Festung Dresden, or the Dresden Fortress, and underground labyrinth below the city. We used the terrace to walk to the Zwinger.
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| Panorama of the Zwinger |
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| This Guy Blows Water into the Nymphs' Bath |
The Zwinger is a restored palace that now houses several
museums, including one devoted to the local Porcelain factory, Meissen. The
palace surrounds a courtyard on 4 sides and is free for the public to visit,
though there are fees for touring the museums in the building. The large
courtyard is like a giant walled park, and we saw many families strolling along
in the sunshine. Oddly enough, no one was walking on the sculpted grass. Perhaps
there was a sign somewhere warning people to keep off it. Through one of gates
into the Zwinger, there resides a fountain called the nymphs bath, featuring
Roman statues and a glorious fountain. On either side of the waterfall, steps
led upward, where you could walk along the tops of the buildings surrounding
the courtyard. It sounds as though I am describing roofs, but a more accurate
description would tend toward imagery of balconies or widows’ walks.
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| Sculpted Grass in the Zwinger Courtyard |
Not wanting to visit museums on a perfect fall day, we
walked across the Augustus Bridge to see the city from the opposite bank of the
Elbe. There is a large park on the floodplain there, and we were able to walk
right down to the water. Following our little excursion along the river, we
returned to the Zentrum, and finally made it to the church.
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| Dresden Frauenkirche Notice the Black Stones interspersed with the White |
Frauenkirche has literally risen from the ashes in the last
20 years. In 1945 the church fell victim to the firebombing. Because of damage
from bombing and fire, the walls of the church could no longer withstand the
weight of the dome, and when the dome crashed down, the entire church caved in
on itself. It was left as a pile of rubble until enough funds and public interest
were raised in 1993 to get the reconstruction project off the ground.
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| The Shadow Shows the Next Clue for International Treasure |
The project utilized every undamaged stone, resulting in a
two toned building, a common feature in Dresden. The black stones are the
survivors of the 1945 firebomb raid, discolored by ash and soot. The white
stones are new, and are used throughout the city to restore the damage. Even
statues have wound up with both black and white portions. The Frauenkirche was
rebuilt using original plans and redecorated based on hundreds of pictures,
drawings, documents, and memories. Due to this painstaking effort and attention
to detail, much of city has been rebuilt exactly as it was before WWII.
As the dome atop the church was finished in 2005, it is now
open for tours, at the price of 8 euros. I thought the price was a little
steep, but I imagine in the future, the price may decrease. I told Joe to think
of it as reparations. Speaking of steep, let’s address that climb! Compared to
most vantage points we’ve visited, this one had relatively few steps, and our
ascent was partly assisted by an elevator. However, there were steps that more
closely resembled a ladder, and a large spiraling ramp to climb. At the top, we
were rewarded with fabulous panoramic views and well as several brisk slaps to
the face from the wind. Luckily, it was balmy outside. I cannot imagine being
up there when the weather turns even chilly. From the top of the dome, we
easily spotted our next stop, the Residenzschloss for its Historic Green Vault
or Historisches Grünes Gewölbe.
The Residenzschloss is the former residence of Saxon
royalty, most notably, Augustus II the Strong who constructed within the palace
a large treasure chamber, exuding wealth and power. Today, the palace houses
several museums, including the reconstructed treasure chambers. As each museum
costs 10 euro, we had to make a choice about which museum to visit. We chose
the Historisches Grünes Gewölbe, as it has been completely restored to its
prewar glory.
We soon realized that workers in the Historisches Grünes
Gewölbe, hereafter abbreviated HGG, do not mess around with security. I was
asked to check my “bag” at the coat check before entering. My bag is slightly
larger than a man’s wallet, and was at the time, holding both our passports and
my phone. But, as I had no pockets, I was forced to check my bag and retrieve it
later (after first removing the passports).
Step two for visitors to the HGG is to enter into what I
referred to in my head as the decompression chamber. Sliding glass doors
admitted us into a small glass antechamber, and after we stepped inside, they
closed and locked behind us. At this point, I expected some kind of air
neutralizing to occur, or a dousing in anti-bacterial/fungal mist, but as far
as I can tell, that didn’t happen. After a moment, the sliding glass doors in
front of us were unlocked and opened so we could begin our tour. To keep the
rooms of the HGG sparsely populated, a limited number of tickets are sold in
half-hour increments throughout the day. These tickets may be purchased
beforehand, and frequently sell-out, but we were lucky and able to walk right
in. Ticket price also includes a very
detailed audio guide.
The splendor in these rooms was amazing, breathtaking,
dizzying. There were so many amazing things, but I think that all grouped together,
their assumed worth decreases. Each room has a theme, and objects within that
room share many similarities. On the walls are many small shelves, each holding
a single item of the collection. Most of the rooms are mirrored to reflect the
treasury back upon itself. One of the rooms we visited had a collection of
ostrich egg art. A goblet made from an ostrich egg seems incredible; until you
witness the 15 other ostrich egg goblets surrounding it. I’m not trying to
downplay these artistic achievements, but the way the items were grouped made
me think the rare objects weren’t as rare as I originally imagined.
I really did enjoy this exhibit though. Augustus II the
Strong had a reputation as a patron of the arts, and the treasury collection
demonstrates this patronage. Many of the materials are unique, and difficult to
work with, but the result is exquisite craftsmanship. The audio guide informed
me that Augustus gave many of his artists free reign, thereby facilitating the
ingenious works of art without hindering the artists’ own visions. With
thousands of objects in so many mediums, it was difficult to peg down a
favorite. Joe was partial toward the garnitures, large collections of jewels in
a single type of stone, all worn at once. All the items in a particular
garniture would be worn at one, such as belt buckles, brooches, swords and scabbards,
and hat jewels. Augustus had several garnitures, one in rubies, one in
sapphires, one in emeralds, and one in diamonds. He also liked a large wood
inlaid table. I particularly enjoyed the pieces using nautiluses, there was a
piece that reminded me of the Little Mermaid, when King Triton rides in on his
dolphin chariot. I also like the strange and eerie ivory carvings. The museum has
a virtual tour, and you can see the treasures in all the rooms, but without any
descriptions.
We stayed that evening in the Hotel Azimut Dresden. They
have an Italian restaurant attached to the lobby, and both Joe and I ordered delicious
pastas, which we are convinced will now haunt us for the rest of our trip here
in Europe. The rooms were clean and spacious, and there was an excellent
breakfast buffet the following morning. We have no complaints about this hotel.
Pictures from Our Trip
Dresden Tourism Homepage
•Here you can download brochures about the city in PDF form
Dresden City Card
•Discounts throughout the city, including transportation
Dresden at Wikipedia
•Information about the city’s history with links to other pages with more information
Bruhl Terrace and Underground City Tour
Zwinger and Dresden Castle (Residenzschloss) Musuems
•Information, online booking, and virtual tours
Frauenkirche Dresden
•Site is completely in German, but the pictures are fabulous, and Google translate gives a close translation
Images of the Green Vault Collection
Green Vault Virtual Tour
Azimut Hotels
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