Top 10 Things to do in Dresden, Saxony

Once one of Dresden's most famous cathedrals, this structure is currently undergoing a massive reconstruction project to repair the damage done by Allied bombings.

This art museum is jam packed with masterpieces by the likes of Rubens and Titian, but it is most famous for Rafael's Sistine Madonna.

Once a pleasure palace and later summer residence of the Saxon royals, it used to be the venue for many weddings and festivities back in Augustus the Strong’s time. Museums moved into the Palace in the 20th century and the Palace Park is the city’s most beautiful recreational resort for both Dresdeners and tourists from all over the world. Situated only about 15 km from the city center of the Saxon state capital of Dresden, the Pillnitz Palace & Park is regarded one of the most important chinoise palace estates throughout Europe. The ensemble of architecture and landscaping lies before the backdrop of the vineyards, harmoniously embedded in the riverscape of the Elbe River valley. With such diversity, it is thought to be a perfect destination for lovers of culture and gardens and for families.

Situated in the heart of the Saxon state capital, the Dresden Zwinger ranks among Germany’s most well-known Baroque buildings of Germany and is, apart from the Church of Our Lady, certainly the most famous building monument in Dresden. It accommodates internationally renowned museums and is a place for staging music and theater performances.

Restored to its former magnificence after its destruction in the 1945 bombing of Dresden, this elaborate, High Renaissance style opera house presents opera, ballet and jazz performances, and is worth a visit if only to marvel at its ornate interior.

This 394-foot mural along the wall in the Royal Mews courtyard depicts a parade of Saxony rulers, some walking, others on horseback. Scratched into stucco by the artist in 1876, the mural was later recast onto porcelain tiles and, incredibly, survived the 1945 bombing of Dresden that destroyed most buildings.

Since 2006 the Panometer Dresden, a former gas tank in Dresden Reick, displays the monumental 360° panoramas “BAROQUE DRESDEN” and “DRESDEN 1945” created by Berlin artist Yadegar Asisi in a regular change. The presentation of the pictures on a scale of 1:1 and a 105 m wide and 27 m high surface is supported by the use of light and sound. Standing on the 15 m high platform in the middle of the monumental picture the visitor can thus experience the perfect illusion of immerging into the history of Saxony’s capital Dresden. Between January and May/June the panorama “DRESDEN 1945” broaches the issues of tragedy and hope of the European city. The accompanying exhibition provides an introduction into the immediate aftermath of the bombing raids on February 13th in 1945. Inside of the panorama picture, which is supported by light and sound effects, the incidents of this day get then even more realistic for the visitors and they get the feeling of being directly involved in the happening. The following documentary, showing interviews with contemporary witnesses, depicts Dresden’s reconstruction in the centuries after the bombing. Between June and December “BAROQUE DRESDEN” invites its visitors to a travel in time into the epoch of Baroque, Dresden’s most famous era. Inspired by the numerous vedutas of Bernardo Bellotto, also known as Canaletto, Yadegar Asisi depicts a unique overall view of Saxony’s capital city. Detailed sceneries of the city life and the courtly routine during the Augustan Epoch, dated back to 1695 - 1760, allow the visitors to plunge into the baroque heyday. The accompanying exhibition, held in vibrant colours such as magenta, deep blue and gold, concentrates on the baroque city’s daily life. Numerous exhibits illustrate different aspects of absolutism, court and religion of this time.