{"id":13387,"date":"2022-01-25T06:07:22","date_gmt":"2022-01-25T11:07:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exploringed.com\/?p=13387"},"modified":"2022-11-09T03:35:26","modified_gmt":"2022-11-09T08:35:26","slug":"germany-dresden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exploringed.com\/germany-dresden\/","title":{"rendered":"Dresden \u2013 City of Magnificent Architecture"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
Dresden was founded as a town about 900 years ago. Over the centuries, it\u2019s been a center of artistic achievement in porcelain, painting, classical music, literature and particularly architecture. The historic city has been dubbed Florence on the Elbe and is known for its Baroque buildings.<\/span><\/p> Much of Dresden was destroyed by Allied bombs in 1945. After WWII, Dresden was in East Germany and construction was dominated by huge, blocky, Soviet-style buildings. Many of the famous ones, such as the symbolic Frauenkirche<\/span>, were left in ruins. After the fall of Communism in 1989, the city has steadily recreated the historic area, a process which continues to this day.<\/span><\/p> It\u2019s a treat for everyone, from those who don\u2019t know or care about the difference between Ionic and Corinthian columns, to students of architectural history, to walk through and admire the impressive buildings, bridges and gardens. This post provides an efficient way of seeing the architectural gems.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Dresden is known as the Baroque City, a style which is theatrical and grandiose with domelike ceilings, rows of pillars and splashy frescoes and statues. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church to keep adherents from joining Protestant churches and was especially popular in the 17<\/span>th<\/span> and 18<\/span>th<\/span> centuries<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> Dresden also has several other styles represented, including Romanesque (massive stonework, round arches, and large towers; principally from 6<\/span>th<\/span> to 11<\/span>th<\/span> centuries), Renaissance (inspired by classical antiquity and emphasizing symmetry, proportion and geometry; notably 14<\/span>th<\/span> to 17<\/span>th<\/span> century), Rococo (excessive and lighthearted decorations with a light color palette, prevalent in the 18<\/span>th<\/span> century especially in France), Neoclassical (revival of Greek and Roman architecture; heyday in the 18<\/span>th<\/span> and 19<\/span>th<\/span> centuries), and even Modernism (designs based on 20<\/span>th<\/span> century technologies of construction with glass, steel, and reinforced concrete).\u00a0<\/span><\/p> Interestingly, while there I didn\u2019t see any Gothic building (cavernous spaces, exaggerated arches, elongated and pointed windows and sometimes flying buttresses; dominant from the 12<\/span>th<\/span> to 16<\/span>th<\/span> centuries) nor found a significant one while researching online, although there have been buildings with this style that no longer exist.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t In August and September 2021, my wife Khadija and I went on a\u00a0 <\/span>five-week drive through Eastern Europe<\/span><\/a> and visited many of the great cities of the region. We weren\u2019t planning on stopping in Dresden, but saw it\u2019s on the way to Berlin from Prague. Folks we met at a wedding in Munich said we shouldn\u2019t miss it, so we squeezed in almost two full days.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\tNotes on Architectural Styles<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
Why We Went to Dresden<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t