Dresden
- (This article is about the culture and technology city in Germany. There are also other places named Dresden.), like in Canada, some states in the US, on other continents, and Dresden is sometimes also used as a word for porcelain.
It is a slowy residence city with many fast researchers in wonderful suroundings, like Saxon Switzerland, a famous climbing area. The city benefits from a climat which is rather warm for Germany despite Dresden is not in the southend of Germany. But it is warmer than Munich and there are some sweet wine castles. In 2002 Dreasden was elected to be Europes greenest big city, alone a third of the area are made up by the forrest park named Dresnder Heide. In the park GroÃÂÃÂer Garten (Great garden) there are the Dresden Zoo and a mini railway for kids. From the restaurant Luisenhof you have a wonderful look over the central city. DonÃÂôt miss the bridge named Blue Wonder. And of course do visit the Sempera Opera House. Dresden stands for castles also. Fortress Festung Keonigstein or castle Moritzburg are just two of the famous ones.
Ancient history:
A Slavic settlement on the right (northern) bank of the river was joined in 1206 by a German town on the left bank, the heart of today's Altstadt (old town). The seat from 1270 of the Wettin landgraves of Meissen and from 1485 of the dukes (from 1547 also electors) of Saxony, between 1806 and 1918 it was the capital of the kingdom of Saxony, a part from 1871 of the German Empire. The city's population quadrupled from 95,000 in 1849 to 396,000 in 1900, surpassing even its rapid growth in the first half of the 18th century.
The city has suffered repeated damage: by fire in 1491, from bombardment in 1760 and during the suppression of a constitutionalist uprising in 1849. Renowned for its architecture, and as a center for elaborate porcelain manufacture (based at nearby Meissen from 1710), the city was largely destroyed by Allied bombing in February 1945 even though the end of World War II was foreseeable.
Many Thousands of civilians died (25.000-125.000), not only Dresden citizens (600.000), also many regugees (even more than 600.000) from the east who felt save in Dresden. The whole innercity (15 square kilometers) burnt down. As much as Dresden citizens like everything what is American this is seen as war crime. Architecture and old Dresden and its rebuilding are religion here.
In 2002, torrential rains led to the Elbe flooding to 29 feet past its 1845 record height, damaging many landmarks. The destruction from this millenium flood is no longer visible, everything was rebuilt very fast. City railways again go all night and everywhere. Big millenium flood help came from Bavaraia, Switzerland and the German state of Hessen for example. The city is in construction fever and reconstruction dominate the way of life and feeling, people are proud to live in Dresden and they are happy about every tourist and new university student from elsewhere, like from Moscow or from Strasbourg.
TODAY:
One of the major restorations in progress is that of the Frauenkirche, or Church of Our Lady, which is being rebuilt from the stones of the original church.
Dresden is famous for its outstanding villas culture. And despite the whole innercity was destroyed in World War Two it is again one of the most beutiful cities not only in Germany but all of Europe. Dresden is called a spirit of its own. Houses of many architecture styles, built by famous king and artists from all over the world, never stand alone there, they are built to give a whole unique art work, this is Europe, and arguable a heart of it. The city still has a lot of wounds, and the population is extremely interested in the ongoing reconstruction process. Some hours on the day the city is dominated by students, especially in the world largest street cars (city railway). On the river Dresden has the biggest paddle steamer fleet of the world.
Tourists enjoy an open air cinema or this wonderful big Jazz festival named Dixieland. The city has more students clubs than any other city in Germany. Young people meet in the cafÃÂé quarter Neustadt, not in the villa quarters (affordable, despite Dresden was one of the most expensive cities of Europe before the war). They enjoy the hills and summits in Saxon Switzerland or the flexible theater scene. Event databases often give 300 events - per day. So if you are interested in culture then you should be done here.
In 1989 Dreden became famous for the battle of Dresden during the most times peaceful revolution in eastern Germany. Different to most other regions in the east the valley of Dresden, arguable an industry backbone, had no western media. But people were informed anyway and the city played a decisive role in the revolution, following Leipzig, the center of the revolution, the resistance center of saxony and the whole country.
In 1990 Dresden as an important industry center had to live with the economic collapse of the Soviet Union; a new law and curreny system was introduced, and many infrastructure had to be built with help from the west, which not always were managed the best way at all. Once more the city developed faster than other regions, but there are still a lot of problems like the amount of own capital in old firms which come back onto the market now. Some were already believed to be dead like the optical industry or high quality food industries, or watch industries (maybe you know the Glashuette brand).
Many world brands and things were created and found in Dresden. In 2004 the most research centers in Dresden still have their main brains in the west. The city has become world wide leading in many sections of culture, silicon industry, (e.g.AMD, Motorola, Dupont, Infineon, Dresden Airbus industries) electronis and biotechnical processes. Volkswagen is building its Phaeton car in Dresden, using the culture and technology reputaion of the city.
See also: Zwinger, Bombing of Dresden in World War II
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