Dresden, located in the south-east of Germany, impresses with the old town recreated after the World War II bombings, a rich cultural offer and excellent tourist infrastructure. The capital of Saxony is also a good base for trips to Saxon Switzerland or Meissen.
Built in the Baroque style Dresden Old Town (Innere Altstadt), which was compared to the architecture of Florence, during the war operations in 1945 was almost completely destroyed. Today, the city has regained its glow and attracts tourists with, among others, the most famous reconstructed monuments such as: Dresdener Residenzschloss (a castle, former the residence of the Wettinians), Zwinger (a rococo palace complex), the cathedral of the Holy Trinity (Kathedrale, Ss. Trinitatis known as Hofkirche), the church of Virgin Mary (Frauenkirche), the Japanese Palace (a baroque palace), Großer Garten (the largest park in the city).
In Dresden, the lovers of art will not be bored. There are several dozen museums there (including Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, or State Art Collections), art galleries (for e.g. Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister or Albertinum), as well as the famous Semperoper opera house. In the Neustadt district, you can also see interesting examples of contemporary architecture, such as colourful courtyards or the Regenwasserspiel (gutter structure on the façade that plays during rain) in the Kunsthofpassage cultural centre.
During the walk, it's best to try a typical Saxon snack, i.e. grilled sausages (bratwurst) served, for example, with baked mushrooms or fried cabbage. In the restaurant, ask for potato soup with sausage (Kartoffelsuppe mit Wurst), roast in a sour sauce (Sauerbraten) with potato dumplings (Kartoffelklöße). For dessert, we recommend Eierschecke (layered cake with cheese and pudding), Quarkkeulchen (curd cakes with apple sauce), and Stollen (sweet bread with nuts and raisins) at Christmas time. Where can you taste local flavours? Take a look at PulverTurm an der Frauenkirche, Kutscherschaenke or Hausbrau im Ballhaus Watzke.
