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Map of Germany showing Dresden
Dresden [ˈdreːsdn̩](Sorbian/Lusatian Drežďany), the capital city of the German federal state of Saxony, is situated in a valley on the river Elbe. The city’s population stood at 478,000 in 2004. (At the same time, the total population in its metropolitan area was about a million). The city today functions as an important cultural, political, and economic center in eastern Germany. Dresden is, however, internationally best known for the controversial Allied strategic bombings in World War II.
Location
Dresden is located in the southeastern corner of eastern Germany; about two hours south of Germany's capital, Berlin, and about two hours north of Prague, capital of the Czech Republic. About an hour northwest of Dresden is Leipzig, the largest city in Saxony.
About the City
Unlike many large cities in Germany, which feature a clearly defined inner city, Dresden has several important centers of social and economic activity spread throughout the city's area.
Often seen as an important culture center, Dresden is a also an important center of the sciences and is home to many researchers. The city is often called the "Silicon Valley of Germany" because numerous computer hardware and hi-tech development firms have opened offices and research facilities in the region. The Dresden University of Technology, is one of the world's oldest technical universities.
Because of its location in a relatively narrow river valley, Dresden's climate is much more characteristic of southern Germany and is considerably warmer than most other places in eastern Germany. In 2002 Dresden was listed as one of Europe’s greenest (large) cities: a third of its area is covered by the forested areas called Dresdner Heide. The Großer Garten (“big garden”) is the largest urban park in the city.
Before the bombing raids of World War II, Dresden with its unmatched collection of baroque architecture was famous as the most beautiful city in Germany. The area also reportedly had the highest living costs in Europe before World War II. Many of the city's greatest monuments were rebuilt in the decades following the war; this process was given new impetus (and funding) after the reunification of Germany in 1991. The city now once again features a wealth of tourist attractions. The major sights of Dresden include:
- Semper Opera House
- Zwinger Baroque buildings enclosing a picturesque garden
- Frauenkirche Baroque church
- Hofkirche
- Dresden castle
- the Grünes Gewölbe, the "Green Vault" where the Saxon Crown Jewels are displayed
- Gallery of Old and New Masters
- Broad River Meadows
- Brühl’s Terrace—”The Balcony of Europe” - a terrace overlooking the Elbe river.
- world´s biggest and oldest paddle steamer fleet
- Large castles:
- the world´s oldest funicular and also the oldest overhead railway (a visit in spring is recommended)
- Europe´s largest Dixieland music festival
- The oldest German Christmas Fair, the Striezelmarkt (only around Christmas)
- Large number of technical and art museums. Many of these hold world records in collection sizes, just as an example the biggest porcelain collection of the world.
- The German military history museum (with exhibits dating back to the Stone Age)
- Blue Wonder historic bridge considered a "wonder" of 19th century enigineering
Nearby, at a higher elevation, are the villages Bannewitz and Rundteil at the foot of the Bohemian Riesengebirge mountains. In the north is the Bühlau quarter; in the east Kleinzschachwitz, anothr villa quarter. Also nearby is Saxon Switzerland, a large prime climbing destination. To the west of Dresden Meissen is situated, most famous for the invention and production of European porcelain.
History
Early and Pre-War History
An ancient Slavic settlement on the northern bank of the river was joined in 1206 by a German town on the southern bank, the heart of today’s Altstadt (“old town”). It was the seat from 1270 of the Wettin Landgrafs (Counts) of Meißen. From 1485 it was the seat of the dukes of Saxony, and from 1547 the electors as well. Between 1806 and 1918 it was the capital of the kingdom of Saxony (which was from 1871 a part of the German Empire).
The city has suffered repeated destruction: by fire in 1491, from bombardment by the Prussians in 1760, and during the suppression of a constitutionalist uprising (The May Uprising) in 1849. The city was largely destroyed by Allied bombing in February 1945.
August the Strong (1694-1733), who planned to make Dresden the most important royal residence, set out to discover the Chinese secret of porcelain (‘white gold’). Under his rule, European porcelain was invented in Dresden and Meißen. He also gathered many of the best architects and painters from all over Europe to Dresden. His reign was the beginning of Dresden’s emergence as a leading European city for technology and art.
During the 19th century, the city became a major center of industry, including automobile production, food processing, and the production of medical equipment. The city also developed into an important center for the international sale of art works and antiques. The city’s population quadrupled from 95,000 in 1849 to 396,000 in 1900 as a result of industrialization.
75% of Dresden was destroyed
Main article: Bombing of Dresden in World War II
Dresden was not the only German city devastated by World War II bombing, but the bombing of Dresden in 1945 has become one of the most controversial events of that war. It was bombed in February 1945, even though the end of World War II was foreseeable. The city was not particularly well defended, because the important war material was on the front near Germany’s east and the few military facilities built there. Some industrial facilities were destroyed, but the main goal of the attacks was to inflict the civilian population with a fire storm. Civilian deaths are estimated at 30,000-140,000. At that time, Dresden’s population was 600,000; but more than 600,000 refugees were living in Dresden, seeing it as a sanctuary from the war. The entire inner city (15 square kilometres) was utterly devastated, and other quarters were damaged to some degree. While some think that the bombing of Dresden was a tragic occurrence that Nazi Germany brought upon itself, others feel it should be treated as a war crime. Fortunately, much of the city's beauty has been restored, thanks to the zeal of the populace in recreating the architecture of ‘old Dresden'. Today Dresden has a strong partnership with the English city Coventry, which was heavily damaged by German air attacks. The partnership is deeply supported by the populace in both cities.
The Postwar Period (Communist Rule)
After the Second World War, Dresden became a major industrial center in socialist East Germany with a great deal of research infrastructure. Many important historic buildings were rebuilt, although the communists leaders of the city chose to reconstruct large areas of the city in a bland socialist modern style for ideological reasons, namely to break away from the city's past as the royal capital of Saxony and a stronghold of the German bourgeoisie. Among East Germans, Dresden also earned the nickname "the valley of the clueless" because the city's location in a valley prevented its residents from watching West German TV, an illegal but popular pasttime among East Germans. On 3 October 1989, (the so-called “battle of Dresden”), a convoy of trains carrying East German refugees from Prague passed through Dresden on its way to West Germany. Local activists and residents, joined in the growing civil disobedience movement spreading across East Germany by staging demonstrations and demanding the removal of the undemocratically-elected communist government.
Post-reunification
Dresden has experienced dramatic changes since the reunification of Germany in the early 1990s. The city still has many of its wounds from the bombing raids of 1945 but Dresden has gotten an impressive "make-over" in recent years. The most important urban renewal/reconstruction project in progress is that of the Frauenkirche (“Church of Our Lady”) and the surrounding Neumarkt district. The church, once the city's symbol, was partly rebuilt from the stones of the original church. Despite the inner city’s almost total destruction in World War Two, many areas in the central city have been restored to their former glory. The urban renewal (German: Stadtreparatur) process in Dresden will continue for many decades but public and government interest remains high and there are numerous large budget projects underway - both historic reconstructions and modern plans - that will continue the city's recent architectural renaissance.
In 1990 Dresden--an important industrial centre of East Germany--had to struggle with the economic collapse of the Soviet Union and the other export markets in eastern Europe. East Germany had been the richest Communist country but was faced with competition from western Germany after reunification. After 1990 a completely new law and currency system was introduced in the wake of Communism’s downfall, and eastern Germany's infrastructure was largely rebuilt with funds from western Germany. Dresden as a major urban center has developed much faster and more consistently than most other regions in the former East Germany, but the city still faces many social and economic problems which stem from the collapse of the communist system, including high unemployment levels. Many of the industries that made Dresden rich before the second world war and dissapeared under communism have resettled in the city including the optical industry, the high quality foodstuffs industries, and the watchmaking industries (including the Glashuette brand). The city has also attracted many new firms to the region including (AMD, Motorola, Dupont, Infineon, and Airbus Industries. Volkswagen is currently manufacturing its Phaeton car model at a modern factory located in central Dresden.
The city and the River
Elbe
In 2002, torrential rains caused the Elbe to flood 29 feet past its 1845 record height, damaging many landmarks. The destruction from this “millennium flood” is no longer visible, due to the rapidity of reconstruction. Disaster relief for the millennial flood came from around the world.
In 2004 the United Nation's cultural organization UNESCO declared Dresden and the surrounding section of Elbe river valley to be a "World Heritage" site.
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