Dresden

The area had been settled in the Neolithic era by Linear Pottery culture tribes c. 7500 BC. Dresden's founding and early growth is associated with the eastward expansion of Germanic peoples, mining in the nearby Ore Mountains, and the establishment of the Margraviate of Meissen. Its name comes from Sorbian Drežďany (meaning either "woods" or "lowland forest-dweller"). Dresden later evolved into the capital of Saxony. Beginning in the 17th century, it became one of Europe’s leading centres of culture and the arts. Early history Dresden developed as a German trading settlement on the south bank of the Elbe, established by the Margrave of Meissen Dietrich. In 1220, a stone bridge was constructed over the Elbe at the same location as today’s Augustus Bridge. both literally "old Dresden". Dresden was given to Friedrich Clem after the death of Henry the Illustrious in 1288. It was taken by the Margraviate of Brandenburg in 1316 and was restored to the Wettin dynasty after the death of Valdemar the Great in 1319. In 1485, the Saxon Wettin brothers divided their lands under the Treaty of Leipzig, with Ernest retaining the Elector title and the western and northern territories, while Albert received the Meissen area and established Dresden as the capital of the . Following the Schmalkaldic War, in 1547 Duke Moritz was granted the title of Elector and Dresden became the capital of the Electorate of Saxony. Early modern age The Elector and ruler of Saxony Frederick Augustus I became King Augustus II the Strong of Poland in 1697. He gathered many of the best musicians, architects and painters from all over Europe to Dresden. His reign marked the beginning of Dresden's emergence as a leading European city for technology and art. During the reign of Elector Frederick Augustus I and his successor Frederick Augustus II most of the city's baroque landmarks were built. These include the Zwinger Royal Palace, the Japanese Palace, the Taschenbergpalais, the Pillnitz Castle and the two landmark churches: the Catholic Hofkirche and the Lutheran Frauenkirche. In addition, significant art collections and museums were founded. Notable examples include the Dresden Porcelain Collection, the Collection of Prints, Drawings and Photographs, the Grünes Gewölbe and the Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon. Strengthening ties with Poland, postal routes to Poznań, Thorn (Toruń) and Warsaw were established under Augustus II the Strong. In 1726, there was a riot for two days after a Protestant clergyman was killed by a soldier who had recently converted from Catholicism. In 1745, the Treaty of Dresden between Prussia, Saxony, and Austria ended the Second Silesian War. Only a few years later, Dresden suffered heavy destruction in the Seven Years' War (1756–1763), following its capture by Prussian forces, its subsequent re-capture, and a failed Prussian siege in 1760. Friedrich Schiller completed his Ode to Joy (the literary base of the European anthem) in Dresden in 1785. In 1793, preparations for the Polish Kościuszko Uprising started in the city by Tadeusz Kościuszko in response to the Second Partition of Poland. 19th century in 1849 In 1806, Dresden became the capital of the Kingdom of Saxony established by Napoleon. During the Napoleonic Wars the French Emperor made it a base of operations, winning there the Battle of Dresden on 27 August 1813. As a result of the Congress of Vienna, the Kingdom of Saxony became part of the German Confederation in 1815. In 1828, the Technical School was founded, the predecessor of the present-day TU Dresden (Dresden University of Technology). In 1838, the Dresden Coinage Convention took place in the city which attempted to bring some degree of standardisation to the currencies used in the (German Customs Union). Steamboat transport on the Elbe was established in 1837, followed in 1839 by the opening of Dresden’s first railway, providing a direct connection to Leipzig. Dresden was a centre of the German Revolutions in 1848–1849. The May Uprising saw rebel Saxon troops supported by students, democrats, miners, and workers declaring a provisional government at the Town Hall. During the street fighting the city’s first opera house was destroyed. Mickiewicz wrote one of his greatest works, Dziady, Part III, there. It had a capacity of up to 20,000 military personnel at the beginning of the First World War. The garrison saw only limited use between 1918 and 1934, but was then reactivated in preparation for the Second World War. 20th century In the early 20th century, Dresden was particularly well known for its camera works and its cigarette factories. During World War I, the city did not suffer any war damage, but lost many of its inhabitants. Between 1918 and 1934, Dresden was the capital of the first Free State of Saxony as well as a cultural and economic centre of the Weimar Republic. The city was also a centre of European modern art until 1933. After the Nazi seizure of power, two book burnings were organised in the city in 1933, one by the SA on Wettiner Platz, the second one by German Student Union at the Bismarck Column on Räcknitzhöhe. From 1933 to 1945, the Jewish community of Dresden was reduced from over 6,000 (7,100 people were persecuted as Jews) to 41, mostly as a result of emigration, but later also deportation and murder. The Semper Synagogue was destroyed in November 1938 on Kristallnacht. Second World War During the German invasion of Poland at the start of World War II, in September 1939, the Gestapo carried out mass arrests of local Polish activists. Over 1,300 people were executed by the Nazis at the Münchner Platz, a courthouse in Dresden, including labour leaders, undesirables, and resistance fighters. Around two-thirds of the executed individuals originated from the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. During the war, Dresden was the location of several forced labour subcamps of the Stalag IV-A prisoner-of-war camp for Allied POWs, and seven subcamps of the Flossenbürg concentration camp, in which some 3,600 men, women and children were imprisoned, mostly Polish, Jewish and Russian. In April 1945, most surviving prisoners were sent on death marches to various destinations in Saxony and German-occupied Czechoslovakia, whereas some women were probably murdered and some managed to escape. During the final months of the war, Dresden harboured some 600,000 refugees, with a total population of . Dresden was attacked seven times between 1944 and 1945. The bombing of Dresden by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) between 13 and 15 February 1945 was controversial. On the night of 13–14 February 1945, 773 RAF Lancaster bombers dropped 1,181.6 tons of incendiary bombs and 1,477.7 tons of high explosive bombs. The inner city of Dresden was largely destroyed. The Dresden Historians' Commission, made up of 13 prominent German historians, in an official 2010 report concluded that casualties numbered between 22,500 and 25,000. The destruction of Dresden allowed Hildebrand Gurlitt, a major Nazi Museum director and art dealer, to hide a large collection of artwork that had been stolen during the Nazi era, as he claimed it had been destroyed along with his house in Dresden. The Allies described the operation as the legitimate bombing of a military and industrial target. The Albertstadt garrison was not specifically targeted. Post-war reformer Martin Luther in the ruins after World War II After the war, Dresden became part of the Soviet occupation zone in Germany. The damage from Allied air raids was so extensive that a narrow-gauge light railway system was constructed to remove the debris. This seven-line railway system employed 5,000 staff and 40 locomotives. The last train remained in service until 1958, though the last debris clearance team was only disbanded in 1977. Dresden became a major industrial centre of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), with a great deal of research infrastructure. It was the centre of Bezirk Dresden (Dresden District) between 1952 and 1990. The East German authorities razed the ruins of many churches and palaces in the 1950s and 1960s (such as the Gothic Sophienkirche and the Wackerbarth-Palais) and rebuilt much of the city in a "socialist modern" style for economic reasons and to break with its past as a royal capital and bourgeois stronghold. Buildings of socialist classicism and spatial design and orientation according to socialist ideals (e.g. the Kulturpalast) were built at the Altmarkt. Large prefabricated housing estates were built on previously undeveloped land in and Gorbitz. Damaged housing in the and other areas around the city centre were demolished and replaced with apartment blocks. The Äußere Neustadt (Outer New Town) as well as the villa districts in Blasewitz, , , Loschwitz and were largely preserved. , completed in 1969, is a prominent example of socialist modernist architecture of the GDR era. Some historic landmarks were saved or reconstructed. Among them were the Ständehaus (1946), the Augustus Bridge (1949), the Kreuzkirche (1955), the Zwinger (1963), the Dresden Cathedral (1965), the Semperoper (1985), the Japanese Palace (1987) and the two largest train stations. The ruins of the Frauenkirche were allowed to remain as a war memorial. From 1955 to 1958, a large part of the art treasures looted by the Soviet Union was returned, which meant that from 1960 onwards many state art collections could be opened in reconstructed facilities or interim exhibitions. Until the end of the Cold War, the 1st Guards Tank Army of the Soviet Army and the 7th Panzer Division of the National People's Army (NVA) were stationed in and around Dresden. From 1985 to 1990, the future President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, was stationed in Dresden by the KGB. On 3 October 1989, a convoy of trains carrying East German refugees from Prague passed through Dresden on its way to West Germany. Local activists and residents joined the growing civil disobedience movement spreading across the GDR by staging demonstrations and demanding the removal of the communist government. Post-reunification in 2004 Following German reunification, the Free State of Saxony was re-established with expanded borders and Dresden as its capital in 1990. The Soviet troops stationed in the city were withdrawn in the early 1990s and the NVA dissolved in accordance with the Two-Plus-Four Treaty of 1990. Since reunification, Dresden has undergone significant reconstruction. Restoration of the Dresden Frauenkirche began in 1994 and was completed in 2005 – a year before Dresden's 800th anniversary – with the help of privately raised funds. The gold cross on the top of the church was made in London and funded by donations to the Dresden Trust, a British organisation committed to strengthening relations with Dresden. The reconstruction of the Frauenkirche marked the first step in rebuilding the Neumarkt area. The majority of buildings around the square were rebuilt either in their original form or with a façade resembling the original. Each year on 13 February, the anniversary of the British and American fire-bombing raid, thousands of residents gather to commemorate the city's destruction in World War II. Since reunification, the ceremony has taken on a more neutral and pacifist tone (after being used more politically during the Cold War). Beginning in 1999, Neo-Nazi groups have organised demonstrations in Dresden that have been among the largest of their type in the post-war history of Germany. with the Waldschlösschen Bridge. Its construction led to the site losing its UNESCO World Heritage status in 2009. In 2002, torrential rains caused the Elbe to flood above its normal height, i.e., even higher than the old record height from 1845, damaging many landmarks (see 2002 European floods). UNESCO declared the Dresden Elbe Valley to be a World Heritage Site in 2004. After being placed on the list of endangered World Heritage Sites in 2006, the city lost the title in June 2009, due to the construction of the Waldschlösschen Bridge, making it the second ever World Heritage Site to be removed from the list. In 2006, the city of Dresden sold its publicly subsidized housing organisation, WOBA Dresden GmbH, to the US-based private investment company Fortress Investment Group. The city received euro and paid off its remaining loans, making it the first large city in Germany to become debt-free. Opponents of the sale were concerned about Dresden's loss of control over the subsidized housing market. ==Geography==

Location Dresden lies on both banks of the Elbe, mostly in the Dresden Basin, with the further reaches of the eastern Ore Mountains to the south, the steep slope of the Lusatian granitic crust to the north, and the Elbe Sandstone Mountains to the east at an altitude of about . Triebenberg is the highest point in Dresden at . With a pleasant location and a mild climate on the Elbe, as well as Baroque-style architecture and numerous museums and art collections, Dresden has been called "Elbflorenz" (Florence on the Elbe). The incorporation of neighbouring rural communities over the past 60 years has made Dresden the fourth largest urban district by area in Germany after Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne. The nearest German cities are Chemnitz to the southwest, Leipzig to the northwest and Berlin to the north. Prague (Czech Republic) is about to the south and Wrocław (Poland) to the east. Nature a few kilometres outside of Dresden Dresden is one of the greenest cities in all of Europe, with 62% of the city being green areas and forests. The Dresden Heath (Dresdner Heide) to the north is a forest in size. There are four nature reserves. The additional Special Conservation Areas cover . The protected gardens, parkways, parks and old graveyards host 110 natural monuments in the city. The Dresden Elbe Valley is a former world heritage site which is focused on the conservation of the cultural landscape in Dresden. One important part of that landscape is the Elbe meadows, which cross the city in a 20 kilometre swath. Saxon Switzerland is located south-east of the city. Climate Like most of eastern Germany, Dresden has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb), with significant continental influences due to its inland location. The summers are warm, averaging 19.0 °C (66.2 °F) in July. The winters are slightly colder than the German average, with a January average temperature of . The driest months are February, March and April, with precipitation of around . The wettest months are July and August, with more than per month. The microclimate in the Elbe valley differs from that on the slopes and in the higher areas, where the Dresden district Klotzsche, at 227 metres above sea level, hosts the Dresden weather station. The weather in Klotzsche is colder than in the inner city at 112 metres above sea level. File:Weisseritz in Löbtau zur Jahrhundertflut 2002.jpg|Floods in 2002 File:Semperoper-flood-2005-03-22.jpg|Semperoper during 2005 floods File:Elbe 030406 2.jpg|Dresden skyline in 2006 File:Elbe-Hochwasser-Dresden-Juni2013-18.jpg|Dresden under water in June 2013 Structure of the city Dresden is a spacious city. Its boroughs differ in their structure and appearance. Many parts still contain an old village core, while some quarters are almost completely preserved as rural settings. Other characteristic kinds of urban areas are the historic outskirts of the city, and the former suburbs with scattered housing. During the German Democratic Republic, many apartment blocks were built. The original parts of the city are almost all in the boroughs of Altstadt (Old town) and Neustadt (New town). Growing outside the city walls, the historic outskirts were built in the 18th and 19th century. They were planned and constructed on the orders of the Saxon monarchs and many of them are named after Saxon sovereigns (e.g. Friedrichstadt and Albertstadt). Dresden has been divided into ten boroughs called "Stadtbezirk" and nine former municipalities ("Ortschaften") which have been incorporated since 1990. ==Demographics==

The population of Dresden grew to 100,000 inhabitants in 1852, making it one of the first German cities after Hamburg, Berlin and Breslau (Wrocław) to reach that number. The population peaked at 649,252 in 1933, and dropped to 368,519 in 1945 because of World War II, during which large residential areas of the city were destroyed. After large incorporations and city restoration, the population grew to 522,532 again between 1946 and 1983. Since German reunification, demographic development has been very unsteady. The city has struggled with migration and suburbanisation. During the 1990s the population increased to 480,000 because of several incorporations, and decreased to 452,827 in 1998. Between 2000 and 2010, the population grew quickly by more than 45,000 inhabitants (about 9.5%) due to a stabilised economy and re-urbanisation. Along with Munich and Potsdam, Dresden is one of the ten fastest-growing cities in Germany. the population of the Dresden agglomeration was 790,400 , the mean age of the population was 43 years, which is the lowest among the urban districts in Saxony. there were 67,841 people with a migration background (12.1% of the population, increased from 7.2% in 2010), and about two-thirds of these, 44,665 or about 8.0% of all Dresden citizens were foreigners. This percentage increased from 4.1% in 2010. ==Governance==

Dresden is the capital of Saxony. It has institutions of democratic local self-administration that are independent from the capital functions. Dresden hosted some international summits in recent years, such as the Petersburg Dialogue between Russia and Germany, the European Union's Minister of the Interior conference and the G8 labour ministers conference. Mayor The city council is the legislative branch of the city government. The council gives orders to the mayor () via resolutions and decrees, and thus also has some degree of executive power. The first freely elected mayor after German reunification was Herbert Wagner of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), who served from 1990 to 2001. The mayor was originally chosen by the city council, but since 1994 has been directly elected. Ingolf Roßberg of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) served from 2001 until 2008. He was succeeded by Helma Orosz (CDU). Dirk Hilbert was elected mayor in 2015 under the banner "Independent Citizens for Dresden". He was nominated by the FDP and Free Voters, and was endorsed by the CDU and AfD in the runoff. The most recent mayoral election was held on 12 June 2022, with a runoff held on 10 July, and the results were as follows: City council The most recent city council election was held on 9 June 2024, and the results were as follows: Public institutions (Saxon State Chancellery) is an institution assisting the President of the State. As the capital of Saxony, Dresden is home to the Saxon state parliament (Landtag) and the ministries of the Saxon Government. The controlling Constitutional Court of Saxony is in Leipzig. The highest Saxon court in civil and criminal law, is the Higher Regional Court of Dresden. Most of the Saxon state authorities are located in Dresden. Dresden is home to the Regional Commission of the Dresden Regierungsbezirk, which is a controlling authority for the Saxon Government. Like many cities in Germany, Dresden is also home to a local court, has a trade corporation and a Chamber of Industry and Trade and many subsidiaries of federal agencies (such as the Federal Labour Office or the Federal Agency for Technical Relief). It hosts some divisions of the German Customs and Waterways and Shipping Office. Dresden is home to a military subdistrict command, but no longer has large military units as it did in the past. Dresden is the traditional location for army officer schooling in Germany, today carried out in the . ==Cityscape==

Architecture at the reconstructed Neumarkt Although Dresden is often said to be a Baroque city, its architecture is influenced by more than one style. Other eras of importance are the Renaissance and Historicism, as well as the contemporary styles of Modernism and Postmodernism. Dresden has some 13,000 listed cultural monuments and eight districts under general preservation orders. Royal household The Dresden Castle was the seat of the royal household from 1485. The wings of the building have been renewed, built upon and restored many times. Due to this integration of styles, the castle is made up of elements of the Renaissance, Baroque and Classicist styles. The Zwinger Palace is across the road from the castle. It was built on the old stronghold of the city and was converted to a centre for the royal art collections and a place to hold festivals. Its gate by the moat is surmounted by a golden crown. Other royal buildings and ensembles: • Brühl's Terrace was a gift to Heinrich, count von Brühl, and became an ensemble of buildings above the river Elbe. • Dresden Elbe Valley with the Pillnitz Castle and other castles Sacred buildings 's Dresden included the Hofkirche during construction. The Hofkirche was the church of the royal household. Augustus the Strong, who desired to be King of Poland, converted to Catholicism, as Polish kings had to be Catholic. At that time Dresden was strictly Protestant. Augustus the Strong ordered the building of the Hofkirche, the Roman Catholic Cathedral, to establish a sign of Roman Catholic religious importance in Dresden. The church is the cathedral "Sanctissimae Trinitatis" since 1980. The crypt of the Wettin Dynasty is located within the church. King Augustus III of Poland is buried in the cathedral, as one of the very few Polish kings to be buried outside the Wawel Cathedral in Kraków. In contrast to the Hofkirche, the Lutheran Frauenkirche located at the Neumarkt was built almost contemporaneously by the citizens of Dresden. The city's historic Kreuzkirche was reconsecrated in 1388. There are also other churches in Dresden, like the Russian Orthodox St. Simeon of the Wonderful Mountain Church in the Südvorstadt district. Historicism Historicist buildings made their presence felt on the cityscape until the 1920s. Notable examples of Renaissance Revival architecture in Dresden include the Albertinum located at Brühl's Terrace as well as the Saxon State Chancellery and the Saxon State Ministry of Finance located on the northern Elbe river banks. The Ehrlichsche Gestiftskirche, constructed in 1907, was a historicist church building that was demolished in August 1951. The Villa Rosa was built in 1839 and was considered one of the most important villa buildings in Dresden, due to its Renaissance Revival architecture. Yenidze is a former cigarette factory building built in the style of a mosque between 1907 and 1909. The most recent historicist buildings in Dresden date from the short era of Stalinist architecture in the 1950s, e.g. at the Altmarkt. Modernism The Garden City of Hellerau, at that time a suburb of Dresden, was founded in 1909. It was Germany's first garden city. In 1911, Heinrich Tessenow built the Hellerau Festspielhaus (festival theatre). Until the outbreak of World War I, Hellerau was a centre for European modernism with international standing. In 1950, Hellerau was incorporated into the city of Dresden. Today, the Hellerau reform architecture is recognized as exemplary. In the 1990s, the garden city of Hellerau became a conservation area. The German Hygiene Museum (built 1928–1930) is a signal example of modern architecture in Dresden in the interwar period. The building is designed in an impressively monumental style, but employs plain façades and simple structures. Important modernist buildings erected between 1945 and 1990 are the Centrum-Warenhaus (a large department store), representing the international Style, and the multi-purpose hall Kulturpalast. Contemporary architecture After 1990 and German reunification, new styles emerged. Important contemporary buildings include the New Synagogue, a postmodern building with few windows, the Transparent Factory, the Saxon State Parliament and the New Terrace, the UFA-Kristallpalast cinema designed by Coop Himmelb(l)au (one of the biggest deconstructivist buildings in Germany), and the Saxon State Library. Daniel Libeskind and Norman Foster both modified existing buildings. Foster roofed the main railway station with translucent Teflon-coated synthetics. Libeskind changed the whole structure of the Bundeswehr Military History Museum by placing a wedge through the historical arsenal building. According to Libeskind's studio, "[t]he façade's openness and transparency is intended to contrast with the opacity and rigidity of the existing building." Bridges Important bridges crossing the Elbe river are the Blaues Wunder bridge and the Augustus Bridge. In September 2024 one of the major Elbe river bridges in Dresden - Carola Bridge, collapsed and is currently undergoing demolition. Statues Jean-Joseph Vinache's golden equestrian statue of August the Strong, the Goldener Reiter (Golden Cavalier), is on the Neustädter Markt square. It shows August at the beginning of the Hauptstraße (Main street) on his way to Warsaw, where he was King of Poland in personal union. Another statue is the memorial of Martin Luther in front of the Frauenkirche. Parks and gardens Großer Garten is a Baroque garden in central Dresden. It includes the Dresden Zoo and the Dresden Botanical Garden. The Dresden Heath is a large forest located in the northeast of Dresden and one of the city's most important recreation areas. The park of Pillnitz Palace is famous for its botanical treasures, including a more than 230-year-old Japanese camellia and about 400 potted plants. Main sights File:Dresden-Frauenkirche-night.jpg|Dresden Frauenkirche File:Dresden-Zwinger.courtyard.07.JPG|Zwinger Palace File:Dresden Germany Exterior-of-Semperoper-01.jpg|Semperoper File:Dresden - Blick auf die Altstadt.jpg|Dresden New Town Hall File:Akademie. Dresden.jpg|Dresden Academy of Fine Arts File:Dresden Kreuzkirche 2008.jpg|Kreuzkirche, Dresden File:Dresden Fürstenzug 065.JPG|Fürstenzug File:Dresden-Muenzgasse1.jpg|Münzgasse File:DD-Schloss-gp.jpg|Dresden Castle File:Dresden-Hofkirche.04.jpg|Katholische Hofkirche File:Dresden-Yenidze-night.jpg|Yenidze at night File:Dresden_Aeussere_Neustadt.jpg|Dresden-Neustadt File:Pillnitz13.jpg|Pillnitz Castle File:Hygienemuseum.jpg|German Hygiene Museum File:Militärhistorisches_Museum_der_Bundeswehr_October_2011.jpg|Bundeswehr Military History Museum File:Blaueswunder01.jpg|Blue Wonder File:Nymphenbad_1.JPG|Nymphenbad File:Luftbildaufnahme des Großen Gartens in Dresden.jpg|Großer Garten ==Culture==

, completely rebuilt and reopened in 1985 Carl Maria von Weber and Richard Wagner had a number of their works performed for the first time in Dresden. Other artists, such as Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Otto Dix, Oskar Kokoschka, Richard Strauss, Gottfried Semper and Gret Palucca, were also active in the city. Dresden is also home to several art collections and musical ensembles. Entertainment The Saxon State Opera descends from the opera company of the former electors and Kings of Saxony. Their first opera house was the , opened in 1667. The Opernhaus am Zwinger presented opera from 1719 to 1756, when the Seven Years' War began. The later Semperoper was completely destroyed during the bombing of Dresden during the second world war. The opera's reconstruction was completed exactly 40 years later, on 13 February 1985. Its musical ensemble is the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, founded in 1548. The Dresden State Theatre runs a number of smaller theatres. The Dresden State Operetta is the only independent operetta in Germany. The Herkuleskeule (Hercules club) is an important site in German-speaking political cabaret. There are several choirs in Dresden, the best-known of which is the Dresdner Kreuzchor (Choir of The Holy Cross). It is a boys' choir drawn from pupils of the Kreuzschule, and was founded in the 13th century. The Dresdner Kapellknaben are not related to the Staatskapelle, but to the former Hofkapelle, the Catholic cathedral, since 1980. The Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra is the orchestra of the city of Dresden. Throughout the summer, the outdoor concert series "Zwingerkonzerte und Mehr" is held in the Zwingerhof. Performances include dance and music. There are several small cinemas presenting cult films and low-budget or low-profile films chosen for their cultural value. Dresden also has a few multiplex cinemas, of which the Rundkino is one. Dresden's Striezelmarkt is one of the largest Christmas markets in Germany. Founded as a one-day market in 1434, it is considered the first genuine Christmas market in the world. a culture festival lasting three days in the city district of Dresden-Neustadt. Bands play live concerts for free in the streets and there are refreshments and food. Museums by Raphael in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister'' Dresden hosts the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Dresden State Art Collections) which, according to the institution's own statements, place it among the most important museums presently in existence. The art collections consist of twelve museums, including the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Gallery) and the Grünes Gewölbe (Green Vault) and the Japanese Palace (Japanisches Palais). Also known are Galerie Neue Meister (New Masters Gallery), Rüstkammer (Armoury) with the Turkish Chamber, and the Museum für Völkerkunde Dresden (Museum of Ethnology). Other museums and collections owned by the Free State of Saxony in Dresden are: • The Deutsche Hygiene-Museum, founded for mass education in hygiene, health, human biology and medicine • The Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte (State Museum of Prehistory) • The Senckenberg Naturhistorische Sammlungen Dresden (Senckenberg Natural History Collections Dresden) • The Universitätssammlung Kunst + Technik (Collection of Art and Technology of the Dresden University of Technology) • Verkehrsmuseum Dresden (Transport Museum) • Festung Dresden (Dresden Fortress) • Panometer Dresden (Dresden Panometer) (Panorama museum) The Dresden City Museum is run by the city of Dresden and focused on the city's history. The Bundeswehr Military History Museum is placed in the former garrison in the Albertstadt. The book museum of the Saxon State Library presents the Dresden Codex. The Kraszewski Museum is a museum dedicated to the most prolific Polish writer Józef Ignacy Kraszewski, who lived in Dresden from 1863 to 1883. ==Transport==

Bus DVB is the municipal company in charge of transport in the city of Dresden. DVB provides a night service named ('goodnight lines'), which operates Monday-Sunday, although the frequency of the buses is greater on Friday, Saturday and before holidays when the routes run every 30 minutes between 22:45 and 04:45. Postplatz is the most important hub for night-time travel in Dresden. Most GuteNachtLinie routes meet here at the same time to allow people to switch routes. Roads The Bundesautobahn 4 (European route E40) crosses Dresden in the northwest from west to east. The Bundesautobahn 17 leaves the A4 in a south-eastern direction. In Dresden it begins to cross the Ore Mountains towards Prague. The Bundesautobahn 13 leaves from the three-point interchange "Dresden-Nord" and goes to Berlin. The A13 and the A17 are on the European route E55. In addition, several Bundesstraßen (federal highways) run through Dresden. Rail is the main inter-city transport hub. There are two main inter-city transit hubs in the railway network in Dresden: Dresden Hauptbahnhof and Dresden-Neustadt railway station. The most important railway lines run to Berlin, Prague, Leipzig and Chemnitz. A commuter train system (Dresden S-Bahn) operates on three lines alongside the long-distance routes. Air Dresden Airport is the city's international airport, located at the north-western outskirts of the city. After German reunification the airport's infrastructure has been considerably improved. In 1998, a motorway access route was opened. In March 2001, a new terminal building was opened along with the underground S-Bahn station Dresden Flughafen, a multi-storey car park and a new aircraft handling ramp. Dresden is also directly connected to Berlin Brandenburg Airport by the IC 17. Trams Dresden has a large tram network operated by Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe, the municipal transport company. It operates twelve lines on a network. Many of the new low-floor vehicles are up to 45 metres long and produced by Bombardier Transportation in Bautzen. While about 30% of the system's lines are on reserved track (often sown with grass to reduce noise), many tracks still run on the streets, especially in the inner city. The CarGoTram was a tram that supplied Volkswagen's Transparent Factory, crossing the city. The transparent factory was located not far from the city centre next to the city's largest park. The districts of Loschwitz and Weisser Hirsch are connected by the Dresden Funicular Railway, which has been carrying passengers back and forth since 1895. ==Economy==

semiconductor factory owned by Volkswagen Until enterprises like Dresdner Bank left Dresden in the communist era to avoid nationalisation, Dresden was one of the most important German cities, an important industrial centre of the German Democratic Republic. The period of the GDR until 1990 was characterized by low economic growth in comparison to western German cities. In 1990 Dresden had to struggle with the economic collapse of the Soviet Union and the other export markets in Eastern Europe. After reunification enterprises and production sites broke down almost completely as they entered the social market economy, facing competition from the Federal Republic of Germany. After 1990 a completely new legal system and currency system was introduced and infrastructure was largely rebuilt with funds from the Federal Republic of Germany. Dresden as a major urban centre has developed much faster and more consistently than most other regions in the former German Democratic Republic. Between 1990 and 2010 the unemployment rate fluctuated between 13% and 15%, but has decreased significantly ever since. In December 2019 the unemployment rate was 5.3%, the fourth lowest among the 15 largest cities of Germany (after Munich, Stuttgart and Nuremberg). In 2017, the GDP per capita of Dresden was 39,134 euros, the highest in Saxony. Thanks to the presence of public administration centres, a high density of semi-public research institutes and an extension of publicly funded high technology sectors, the proportion of highly qualified workers Dresden is again among the highest in Germany and by European criteria. In 2019, Dresden had the seventh-best future prospects of all cities in Germany, after being ranked fourth in 2017. Enterprises Three major sectors dominate Dresden's economy: The semiconductor sector as part of Silicon Saxony's semiconductor industry was built up in 1969. Major enterprises today include AMD's semiconductor fabrication spin-off GlobalFoundries, Infineon Technologies, ZMDI and Toppan Photomasks. Their factories attract many suppliers of material and cleanroom technology enterprises to Dresden. The pharmaceutical sector developed at the end of the 19th century. The 'Sächsisches Serumwerk Dresden' (Saxon Serum Plant, Dresden), owned by GlaxoSmithKline, is a global leader in vaccine production. Another traditional pharmaceuticals producer is Arzneimittelwerke Dresden (Pharmaceutical Works, Dresden). A third traditional branch is that of mechanical and electrical engineering. Major employers are Elbe Flugzeugwerke (Elbe Aircraft Works), Siemens and Linde-KCA-Dresden. The tourism industry enjoys high revenue and supports many employees. There are around one hundred bigger hotels in Dresden, many of which cater in the upscale range. Media The media in Dresden include two major newspapers of regional record: the Sächsische Zeitung (Saxon Newspaper, circulation around 228,000) and the Dresdner Neueste Nachrichten (''Dresden's Latest News, circulation around 50,000). Dresden has a broadcasting centre belonging to the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk. The Dresdner Druck- und Verlagshaus'' (Dresden printing plant and publishing house) produces part of Spiegel's print run, amongst other newspapers and magazines. ==Education and science==

Universities Dresden is home to a number of renowned universities, but among German cities it is a more recent location for academic education. • The Dresden University of Technology (Technische Universität Dresden, abbreviated as TU Dresden or TUD) with more than 36,000 students (2011) was founded in 1828 and is among the oldest and largest Universities of Technology in Germany. It is currently the university of technology in Germany with the largest number of students but also has many courses in social studies, economics and other non-technical sciences. It offers 126 courses. In 2006, the TU Dresden was successful in the German Universities Excellence Initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Germany). • The Dresden University of Applied Sciences (Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Dresden) was founded in 1992 and had about 5,300 students in 2005. • The Dresden Academy of Fine Arts (Hochschule für Bildende Künste Dresden) was founded in 1764 and is known for its former professors and artists such as George Grosz, Sascha Schneider, Otto Dix, Oskar Kokoschka, Bernardo Bellotto, Carl-Gustav Carus, Caspar David Friedrich and Gerhard Richter. • The Palucca School of Dance (Palucca Hochschule für Tanz) was founded by Gret Palucca in 1925 and is a major European school of free dance. • The Carl Maria von Weber College of Music was founded in 1856. Other universities include the Hochschule für Kirchenmusik, a school specialising in church music, and the Evangelische Hochschule für Sozialarbeit, an education institution for social work. The Dresden International University is a private postgraduate university, founded in 2003 in cooperation with the Dresden University of Technology. Research institutes Dresden hosts many research institutes, some of which have gained an international standing. The domains of most importance are micro- and nanoelectronics, transport and infrastructure systems, material and photonic technology, and bio-engineering. The institutes are well connected among one other as well as with the academic education institutions. Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf is the largest complex of research facilities in Dresden, a short distance outside the urban areas. It focuses on nuclear medicine and physics. As part of the Helmholtz Association it is one of the German Big Science research centres. The Max Planck Society focuses on fundamental research. There are three Max Planck Institutes (MPI) in Dresden: the MPI of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, the MPI for Chemical Physics of Solids, and the MPI for the Physics of Complex Systems. The Fraunhofer Society hosts institutes of applied research that also offer mission-oriented research to enterprises. With eleven institutions or parts of institutes, Dresden is the largest location of the Fraunhofer Society worldwide. The Fraunhofer Society has become an important factor in location decisions and is seen as a useful part of the "knowledge infrastructure". The Leibniz Community is a union of institutes with science covering fundamental research and applied research. In Dresden there are three Leibniz Institutes. The Leibniz Institute for Polymer Research and the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research are both in the material and high-technology domain, while the Leibniz Institute for Ecological Urban and Regional Development is focused on more fundamental research into urban planning. The Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf was member of the Leibniz Community until the end of 2010. Higher secondary education Dresden has more than 20 gymnasia which prepare for a tertiary education, five of which are private. The Sächsisches Landesgymnasium für Musik with a focus on music is supported, as its name implies by the State of Saxony, rather than by the city. There are some Berufliche Gymnasien which combine vocational education and secondary education and an Abendgymnasium which prepares higher education of adults avocational. ==Sport==

, the current home of Dynamo Dresden Dresden is home to Dynamo Dresden, which had a tradition in UEFA club competitions up to the early 1990s. Dynamo Dresden won eight titles in the DDR-Oberliga. Currently, the club is a member of the 2. Bundesliga after some seasons in the Bundesliga and 3. Liga. In the early 20th century, the city was represented by Dresdner SC, who were one of Germany's most successful clubs in football. Their best performances came during World War II, when they were twice German champions, and twice Cup winners. Dresdner SC is a multisport club. While its football team plays in the sixth-tier Landesliga Sachsen, its volleyball section has a team in the women's Bundesliga. Dresden has a third football team SC Borea Dresden. ESC Dresdner Eislöwen is an ice hockey club playing in the second-tier ice hockey league DEL2. Dresden Monarchs are an American football team in the German Football League. The Dresden Titans are the city's top basketball team. Due to good performances, they have moved up several divisions and currently play in Germany's second division ProA. The Titans' home arena is the Margon Arena. Since 1890, horse races have taken place and the Dresdener Rennverein 1890 e.V. are active and one of the big sporting events in Dresden. Major sporting facilities in Dresden are the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion, the Heinz-Steyer-Stadion and the EnergieVerbund Arena for ice hockey. ==Twin towns – sister cities==

Dresden and Coventry became twins after World War II in an act of reconciliation, as both had suffered near-total destruction from massive aerial bombings. Similar symbolism occurred in 1988, when Dresden twinned with the Dutch city of Rotterdam. The Coventry Blitz and Rotterdam Blitz bombardments by the German Luftwaffe are also considered to be disproportional. Dresden has had a triangular partnership with Saint Petersburg and Hamburg since 1987. Dresden is twinned with: • Coventry, England (1959) • Saint Petersburg, Russia (1961) • Wrocław, Poland (1963) • Skopje, North Macedonia (1967) • Ostrava, Czech Republic (1971) • Brazzaville, Congo (1975) • Florence, Italy (1978) • Hamburg, Germany (1987) • Rotterdam, Netherlands (1988) • Strasbourg, France (1990) • Salzburg, Austria (1991) • Columbus, United States (1992) • Rouen, France (1994) • Hangzhou, China (2009) Friendly cities Dresden also has friendly relations with: • Daejeon, South Korea • Gostyń, Poland • Shiraz, Iran ==Notable people==

Public service • Augustus II the Strong (1670–1733), Elector of Saxony and King of Poland. • Augustus III of Poland (1696–1763), Elector of Saxony and King of Poland. • Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (1750–1827), King of Saxony. • Anthony of Saxony (1755–1836), King of Saxony • Count Heinrich von Bellegarde (1756–1845), Generalfeldmarschall and statesman. • Johann Adolf, Freiherr von Thielmann (1765–1824), Prussian cavalry soldier. • Wilhelm Adolf Becker (1796–1846), classical scholar. • Frederick Augustus II of Saxony (1797–1854), King of Saxony. • John, King of Saxony (1801–1873), King of Saxony. • Edwin Freiherr von Manteuffel (1809–1885), Prussian general field marshal. • Albert, King of Saxony (1828–1902), King of Saxony. • George, King of Saxony (1832–1904), King of Saxony. • Heinrich Gotthard Freiherr von Treitschke (1834–1896), historian, political writer and nationalist • Ernst Brandes (1862–1935), German lawyer, estate manager and politician • Frederick Augustus III of Saxony (1865–1932), King of Saxony • Amelie Beese (1886–1925), aviator • Max Immelmann (1890–1916), WWI fighter pilot, first pilot awarded the Pour le Mérite, known as the "Blue Max" • Herbert Wehner (1906–1990), politician (SPD) • Wolfgang Bergold (1913–1987), East German politician and diplomat • Wolfgang Mischnick (1921–2002), politician (FDP) • Peter Hoffmann (1930–2023), historian • Gerhart Baum (1932–2025), politician (FDP) • Andreas von Bülow (born 1937), politician and writer • Christine Bergmann (born 1939), politician (SPD) • Katja Kipping (born 1978), politician (The Left) Academics • Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus (1651–1708), German mathematician, physicist, physician, and philosopher • Christoph M. Kimmich (born 1939), German-American historian and eighth President of Brooklyn College • Gert Jäger (born 1935), translation scholar Arts • August Buchner (1591–1661), influential Baroque poet • August Joseph Pechwell (1757–1811), painter • Theodor Körner (1791–1813), poet and soldier. • Moritz Hauptmann (1792–1868), music theorist, teacher and composer. • Ludwig Richter (1803–1884), painter • Amalie Scholl (1823–1879), German composer • Hans von Bülow (1830–1894), conductor, virtuoso pianist and composer. • Georgina Schubert (1840–1878), composer and singer • Paul Miersch (1868–1956), composer • Elsa Laura Wolzogen (1876–1945), composer • Victor Klemperer (1881–1960), Jewish author of I Will Bear Witness • Erich Kästner (1899–1974), author of books • Carle Hessay (1911–1978), Canadian painter • Siegfried Geißler (1929–2014), composer, conductor, hornist and politician • Gerhard Richter (born 1932), painter • Gernot Roll (1939–2020), cinematographer, film director and script writer • Thomas Fritsch (1944–2021), film, television and dubbing actor • Erik Simon (born 1950), German science fiction writer, editor of anthologies of science fiction, literary critic of science fiction, and translator • Andrea Ihle (born 1953), operatic soprano • Martha Irmler, ballet dancer • Annette Jahns (1958–2020), operatic mezzo-soprano and contralto, and opera director • Durs Grünbein (born 1962), poet and writer • Siarhei Mikhalok (born 1972), Belarusian rock musician and actor Science and business • Georg Bartisch (ca.1535 – 1607), eye surgeon and author of first German-language textbook of ophthalmology • Carl Friedrich Wenzel (ca.1740 – 1793), chemist and metallurgist. • Georg Amadeus Carl Friedrich Naumann (1797–1873), mineralogist and geologist. • Otto Linné Erdmann (1804–1869), chemist, introduced vaccination into Saxony. • Ferdinand A. Lange (1815–1875), watchmaker, founder of A. Lange & Söhne • Julius Hermann Moritz Busch (1821–1899), publicist; ''"Bismarck's Boswell"''. • Ernst Engel (1821–1896), statistician and economist; Engel curve & ''Engel's law''. • Melitta Bentz (1873–1950), inventor of the coffee filter. • Karl Reinisch (1921–2007), engineer • Edith Schönert-Geiß (1933–2012), numismatist • Marie Simon (1824–1877), nurse • Reinhart Heinrich (1946–2006), biophysicist Sport • Kurt Hitke (1889–1979), American racing driver • Heinz Melkus (1928–2005), racing driver and founder of Melkus • Curt Rottman (1886–1928), Olympic gymnast • Matthias Sammer (born 1967), footballer and football coach • Ad Santel (1887–1966), professional wrestler • Helmut Schön (1915–1996), football coach • Wolfgang Seidel (1926–1987), racing driver • Fritz Wiessner (1900–1988), pioneer of free climbing • Axel Tischer (born 1986), professional wrestler == References ==