Altstadt: Dresden

Crossing Augustusbrücke (Augustus's Bridge) from here, the wonderful sight of Dresden's lovely silhouette - the famous Canaletto view - meets the eye. Particularly at night, when most buildings are beautifully illuminated until 1am, the Brühlsche Terrassen (Brühl's Terraces), the Semper Opera House and their surroundings constitute a majestic view. The bridge leads us into the Altstadt, originally the town's older part. It had been almost entirely annihilated in February 1945, and for years thereafter, only the sad remains of the Frauenkirche (Women's Church) had been left as a depressing legacy of the Second World War. Eventually, however, Dresden's public overcame the tragedy and began to reconstruct, redevelop and renovate the quarter that had once legitimized the city's international glory. Nowadays, the Theaterplatz is again one of Germany's most admirable places, even though it is permanently flooded with tourists from all over the world. Around this square, you'll find more architectural attractions than most other German cities have on the whole: irrespective of the aforementioned sights, there is the great Zwinger, the Castle (Schloß), the Cathedral (Kathedrale), the Fürstenzug and the Kempinski Taschenbergpalais, to name but a few. The sophisticated reconstruction of the Frauenkirche is being performed using practically all of the original parts that could be preserved. Art lovers and history connoisseurs must not miss a visit the Albertinum and the Green Vault (Grünes Gewölbe) that can be reached through Brühl's Terraces. © Bed&Breakfast.com