DESTINATION:
Dresden
During the 18th century Dresden became the “Florence of the North”, attracting the best Italian artists and craftsmen who flocked to the Saxon Court. Elector Augustus the Strong in particular amassed treasures of immeasurable value and the extensive projects which he commissioned ensured that the capital of Saxony was to become a jewel of Baroque architecture. Dresden’s architectural monuments and collections of fine and applied arts are truly magnificent, and although it was badly damaged during the intense bombing raids of 1945, sympathetic reconstruction has now restored the city’s heart. The skyline is striking, and Dresden has once more regained its status as one of Germany’s most beautiful and culturally rewarding cities.
Recommended duration – 4 nights/5 days
KEY VISITS (Recommended)
- ZWINGER PALACE – a unique jewel of German baroque, built between 1710 and 1732 for Augustus the Strong to serve both as a pleasure palace and as a museum for cherished collections.
- OLD MASTERS GALLERY – this collection is of a supremely high standard, with seminal works by Raphael, Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto and Giorgione, Rubens, Rembrandt and Vermeer, with other featured masters including Frans Hals, van Dyck and Jacob Jordaens. This splendid collection is complemented by an exciting range of 15th and 16th century German art.
- PORCELAIN COLLECTION – highlights include the 17th century tall Dragoon vases as well as numerous exquisite pieces of Chinese, Japanese and Meissen porcelain.
- FRAUENKIRCHE – the “Church Of Our Lady” is arguably the most important Protestant church in Germany, and was built between 1726 and 1743. The church’s characteristic dome, known as the ‘stone bell’, collapsed on 15 February 1945 following a ferocious fire that swept through the city after the final wave of Allied bombings. The official reconstruction of the Frauenkirche began in 1994 and in 2005 it was re-consecrated and now serves as a symbol of international reconciliation.
- The GREEN VAULTS (Grünes Gewölbe) – now housed in Dresden Royal Castle, exhibit a dazzling display of precious items from the late Renaissance and Rococo periods; it is undoubtedly one of the richest collections of decorative arts in the world.
- NEW MASTERS PICTURE GALLERY – this collection spans the 19th and 20th centuries and has many examples of German Romanticism, German Impressionism, French Impressionism post-Impressionism and many works by contemporary artists from the city.
- MEISSEN – often referred to as ‘the cradle’ and Saxony’s oldest town. It is an attractive medieval town on the River Elbe, west of Dresden, and the home of the world-renowned Meissen porcelain factory.
- GARDENS OF PILLNITZ PALACE – designed in the fashionable Chinese style with the spectacular Pillnitz Greenhouses.
ALTERNATIVE VISITS
- MORITZBURG CASTLE – originally a 16th century hunting lodge until Augustus the Strong ordered it to be rebuilt as a magnificent Baroque palace. There is a remarkable collection devoted to the history of hunting, and visitors can admire the Baroque French and Saxon furniture, porcelain from Meissen, China and Japan, and 18th century European art. (This visit works well en route from Dresden to Berlin)
- WACKERBARTH PALACE – erected in 1730 and served as the last home of the Count of Wackerbarth, a minister of Augustus the Strong. Today the palace houses the Saxon State Wine Estate and extensive wine cellars.
- PFUNDS MOLKEREI – this spectacular old dairy is now a delicatessen, which sells over 100 varieties of cheese. The ornate interior includes wonderful embellished tile paintings in Neo-Renaissance style, and the hand painted motifs on the walls, floor and ceiling were produced by Dresden’s famous Villeroy and Boch stoneware factory.
- COLDITZ CASTLE – a former maximum security prison, in theory at least, used by the Nazis to house Communists, Jews and the worst Allied troublemakers and persistent escapees from other camps. Despite the belief that escape from Colditz was all but impossible, over 300 attempts were made during the Second World War, 31 of which were successful. Its most famous inmate was Winston Churchill’s nephew.
FURTHER AFIELD
LEIPZIG
The city’s favourable trading position resulted in valuable objects and art collections playing an important role in the city’s history, and the richness and diversity of the museums we find today stem from many different sources.
- ORIENTATION WALK – to include the Market Square with the Old City Hall, Barthels Hof, the famous “Zum Arabischen Coffee Baum” Restaurant and Coffee Museum, the Mädler Passage Arcade containing the legendary Auerbachs Keller Restaurant, St Nicholas’ Church, Leipzig University, the Opera House and Gewandhaus concert hall.
- THOMAS’ CHURCH – the original Romanesque building underwent its Gothic transformation in the late 1400s. It is the final resting place of Johann Sebastian Bach, who led the famous St. Thomas’s choir as cantor from 1723 to 1750.
- MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS – which showcases some of the highlights of the city’s municipal collection of paintings to include many Old Masters and a series of 18 pieces by both Cranach the Elder and Cranach the Younger. The museum also boasts over 800 sculptures in addition to 70 works by the German artist, Max Klinger.
- GRASSI complex of museums – members can chose to visit either the Museum of Musical Instruments or the Museum of Applied Arts.