Things to do in Dresden, Germany: Three minute guide

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This was published 7 years ago

Things to do in Dresden, Germany: Three minute guide

By David Whitley
Updated
Dresden Frauenkirche, a church in Dresden.

Dresden Frauenkirche, a church in Dresden.Credit: iStock

WHY

Had this question been asked 100 years ago, the answer would have been screamingly obvious: It was arguably the most beautiful city in Europe, an eyeball feast of stunning baroque buildings. Then, alas, came the bombs of World War II, which almost destroyed Dresden. The reason to go now is to see how painstakingly and remarkably everything has been reconstructed. The city is almost back to its sumptuous best – and has thrown in a bit of nightlife energy for good measure.

VISIT

Inside former gas cylinder The Panometer, Yadegar Asisi has recreated 18th century Dresden in almost photographic quality detail.

Inside former gas cylinder The Panometer, Yadegar Asisi has recreated 18th century Dresden in almost photographic quality detail.Credit: Getty Images

The most recent resurrection is of the octagonal Frauenkirche​ (frauenkirche-dresden.de), a fantasy in multi-coloured marble. But properly representative of Dresden is the Zwinger complex (skd.museum), which was built as a pleasure palace for cash-splashing ex-ruler Augustus The Strong, who was responsible for most of Dresden's key buildings. The world's largest collection of porcelain is inside, while there's also a fantastic collection of paintings by Europe's Old Masters, such as Raphael and Cranach the Younger.

EAT

For hip and grungy dining, head to the Aussere Neustadt – which is where a staggeringly high concentration of bars can be found. But in the Altstadt among most of the baroque splendour, proudly traditional is the restaurant rule of thumb. The Alte Meister (altemeister.net) at the back of the Zwinger has a fab terrace for warm evenings and does hearty dishes such as saddle of veal with mustard crust very well.

LOOK

If shiny things to coo at are your thing, the Historisches Grunes Gewolbe and Neues Grunes Gewolbe inside Dresden Castle (skd.museum) display centuries-worth of absurd treasures hoarded by Saxony's rulers. That covers everything from clocks and monumental owls to drinking horns, all made from lashings of silver, gold and precious stones.

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MUST

Beyond the Aldstadt and the neighbouring Grosser Garten park is a staggeringly ambitious piece of art. Inside former gas cylinder The Panometer (asisi.de), Yadegar Asisi​ has recreated 18th century Dresden in almost photographic quality detail. It's 100m in diameter, and stretches for the full 360 degrees at just under 30m in height.

SLEEP

Augustus The Strong was a bit of a playboy, and had a palace built especially for his mistress. This is now the Hotel Kempinski Taschenberg Palais (kempinski.com). As hotels go, it's at the all-out dramatic decor end of the scale, with grand stucco ceilings and furniture lacquered to within an inch of its life. The rooms are mercifully toned down compared to the public areas. Expect to pay from €160 ($242).

TIP

This is Europe, so most attractions inexplicably close on Mondays. The Castle is the exception – that closes on Tuesdays instead, so that's the one to beeline to when at a loose end because everything else is shut.

David Whitley was a guest of Dresden Information GmbH (Dresden.de).

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