While visiting Saxony's capital city, one would have no idea that 68 years ago, this beautiful city was reduced almost entirely to rubble. Late in WWII, the Allies dropped over 2,000 tons of bombs on Dresden, which destroyed over 90% of the historic city center and took the lives of over 20,000 civilians. Since then, the city has remarkably bounced back - painstakingly recreating the beautiful baroque buildings while tactfully reminding visitors to the city of the destructive cost of war.
Now Germany's 11th largest city, Dresden has done many things right in their reconstruction. Their extensive and highly efficient tram system is clean, easy to use, and fast. Green areas and forests account for 63% of the city - the abundance of gorgeous parks makes a stroll through the city center absolutely idyllic. The Elbe river divides the Altstadt (old city) and Neustadt (new city) perfectly, and allows for some spectacular city views.
One of the best parts about our visit to the city was the abundance of free sights. Below are our top 5 favorite free Dresden experiences:
Frauenkirche: This stunning Lutheran church lies in middle of the Altstadt - it cannot be missed. Though it withstood some of the WWII bombings, after the 1945 bombings the Baroque church burned for two days before it completely collapsed into a pile of ruin. For years the city left the rubble as a memorial to the destruction of war. In 1989, Dresden's citizens organized an effort to rebuild the church. After literally numbering the surviving sandstone bricks to ensure their original placement using the original plans, the Frauenkirche was reopened in October 2005. It is breathtaking and you can see the original, dark bricks throughout the building easily.
Military History Museum (Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr): Free to soldiers from any of the NATO countries, €3 for students, and €5 for adults; this might not be free for you, but it is still a steal. This museum walks through all of Germany's military history, and of course offers an extensive WWII exhibit. The building is huge which enables them to display a 45' V-2 rocket, one-man submarine, multiple tanks and cannons, and even a mounted elephant (lion and elephant rear pictured above), all while making you feel like no one else is in the museum. The exhibits are chronological and themed and include German and English explanations for everything from the rocket to the tiny bullets. I was overwhelmed with the information and exhibits at this museum; it was perhaps the first war museum that held my interest for over an hour, and I could have stayed for two.
Fürstenzug: It took over 23,000 tiles to put together the gilded mural longer than a football field portraying of Saxony's rulers and famous citizens. We enjoyed the evolution of attire, weaponry, and general appearance as we walked down the porcelain mural. In case you get lost in time, there are dates at the bottom of the mural to guide your way!
 |
| Brühl's Terrace (Brühlsche Terrasse): Though the "Balcony of Europe" was never anything less than crowded throughout our stay, I still felt like I was a character of Downton Abbey as we paused along the railing underneath the perfectly planned and groomed rows of trees and looked out on the Elbe River. Destroyed in the 1945 bombings, this promenade is another example of Dresden's amazing reconstruction. The city's lights were particularly spectacular on our nighttime stroll. |
Dixieland Jazz Festival: Europe's biggest jazz festival transforms the city into a European New Orleans (there were even t-shirts saying so!). There are stages set up every few blocks with jazz bands and street musicians are out in full force. Though there are fabulous concerts throughout the city that require tickets, we enjoyed the free concerts all over the Altstadt. We were sad to miss the concert on the river, but loved eating our dinner outside while enjoying the music and general environment. If you are thinking about Dresden any time near mid-May, try to overlap with this fabulous fest!
We attended a rejoneo, a bullfight in which the fighter, the rejoneador, is on horseback. The skill of controlling horses millimeters away from a bull's horn to the thigh was incredible. Apparently, the horses are blinded, but even after a couple of the horses received a swift jab, the rejoneadors maintained control. These horses could easily outrun the bull, so the rejoneador would have the horses side step to taunt the bull - I was amazed at how fast and steady the horses were with this seemingly awkward movement.
