Dresden, the "Florence on the Elbe"

Dresden was just a short stop on our way to Prague, but it was a beautiful city! I wrote in my journal, "Wow! Dresden was absolutely magical!" I felt as if I had stepped back into another century upon arrival. Our first stop was the Zwinger Palace, built by August the Strong. He was famous for gathering architects, painters and artisans to Dresden and showcasing their works. We saw many of the items he gathered that the Germans protected from the firebombing during WWII. There were decorations cut from ivory, an ivory frigate with 50 miniature sailors, a birthday scene made of gold and porcelain that had at least 100 miniature people and animals among other art works. The art was breathtaking and some of it very difficult to describe.

Dresden was badly bombed by the Allies in February, 1945, when the war was all but decided. Bruce and I got the sense the Germans are somewhat bitter about this, as Dresden had little military significance and many civilians were killed. Estimates of dead civilians ranged from 25,000-40,000. The Zwinger Palace and beautiful churches were destroyed. Fortunately, Dresden was rebuilt after the war, so one can get a sense of its former beauty. Its nickname is the "Florence on the Elbe". I was reluctant to leave Dresden, but it was time to move onto another ancient city, Prague, in the Czech Republic.