24 H in Dresden
I have never thought of Dresden as a must-see destination in Germany, and yet it is among the cities that has amazed us the most.
In 1945 the city was completely destroyed by a bombardment that left only ashes and rubble in the old town, a few shreds of buildings and vast deserted areas.
The city, in the decades following the war, lived under the communist regime of East Germany, which systematically refused to finance the reconstruction of the city monuments, restored to their original splendor, using the same rubble, only after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Through the funding received from the former West German states, the rest of the city was also progressively rebuilt.
Today Dresden appears as a collection of brand new buildings, although reconstructed according to the scheme of the old facades, in a contemporary style and with contemporary materials. The impression is quite disorienting, even more so when you approach this brand new architecture, but with a historical imprint, with the presence of huge empty spaces between the blocks (legacy of the bombings), oversized and perfectly tidy squares, contemporary neighborhoods just behind the curtain of historic buildings in the center.
The centre, with a sequence of historically valuable buildings reconstructed along the river bank that separates the city in two, is therefore a small condensate of history, surrounded by commercial districts on one side, the very wide river bed on the other, exaggeratedly large parks and a grey expanse of prefabricated geometric buildings bequeathed by the communist regime.
Visiting Dresden, is therefore an easy day-walk.
Start the day with a taste of the famous Dresdner Stollen, a dessert originally from this city but known throughout Europe: a condensate of butter and candied fruit wrapped in sweet, compact bread. The best place to taste it, accompanied by a good cappuccino, is the Schlosscafé Emil Reimann, where you can also take it home with you.
The city's monuments are all within walking distance from the café and the large central square, the Neumarkt. The Frauenkirche, the unique circular Baroque church with its imposing dome, dominates the square and is just a short distance from the Kunsthalle, the beautiful Stallhof, the castle stables, with the majestic Fürstenzug mural representing the Saxon royalty.
Following the mural, you reach the Hofkirche, which concludes, together with the Semperoper, which overlooks the same square, the parade of palaces and historic buildings that line the banks of the Elbe river. The view, especially in the evening, when these monuments are all masterfully illuminated, is truly impressive, as the lack of residential blocks between them makes them an unparalleled concentration of history and architecture.
The city has a dark note, given by the dark shade, tending to black, of the stone used for the elegant buildings. A mineral contained in sandstone typical of North-Eastern Europe, in fact, oxidizes over time in contact with air, and although recently built, the buildings in Dresden have already taken on the typical black colour.
The monument we preferred, however, was the Zwinger, an 18th century Baroque complex dedicated to events and manifestations, which today houses porcelain collections and other exhibitions. The architecture is decidedly unique, with a central garden enriched with fountains and an oval-ish building surrounding the large open space, with rooms with large arched windows and galleries. This construction serves as a basement, while in some places buildings stand with a high perforated drum with the same glass windows, surmounted by green bronze roofs or golden domes.
You can end the day with a hearty dinner based on pork shank and a giant beer mug in the Zum Schiesshaus restaurant.
FUN FACTS
After having laboriously earned the title of UNESCO World Heritage City, in 2004, following the reconstruction of the bombed-out old town, it was only in 2009 (quite unique) that the UN authority withdrew the title from the city of Dresden, for contravening the recommendation not to build the Walschlössenbrücke bridge. This infrastructure, according to UNESCO, would in fact disfigure the view of the old city centre, while according to the citizens it was necessary to manage the growing traffic. Whether the institution was right or not, the bridge was built following a referendum in favour, and Dresden was removed from the World Heritage list.
This content is NOT SPONSORED, but based on my genuine personal experience. Spontaneous opinions, positive and negative, shareable or not, that I hope will help to live better travel experiences. My advice is a guide to lead you through world explorations, but the real journey, you build it!
