Faranto e. V.:City Rallye Dresden

Das Ziel der Dresdner City Rallye ist den Gaststudenten die Dresdner Geschichte, Hintergrundwissen und Kultur etwas näher zu bringen.

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Introduction

We’d like to take you on a (short) walking tour through the historical center of Dresden. Well, I will give you a brief overview of the history.

Dresden is the capital of the German federal state Saxony. The city was founded in 1206: when an ancient Slavic settlement on the northern bank of the river Elbe was joined by a German town on the southern bank  the heart of todays Altstadt (‘old town’) Those settlers were Sorbs. Today, they are a relatively small west Slavic people living as a minority in regions of Saxony and Brandenburg. They belong to the same language and ethnic group as the Poles, Czechs and Slovaks. . In the Sorbian language it means “people who live in the marshy woods”.

The most famous ruler of Saxony was Frederick August I, aka August the Strong, from the Wettin dynasty. He got his nickname for his bearlike strength and for his numerous offspring. I read he sired 365 children. Well, many of them were illegitimate children, but it’s a lot, though. He was also King of Poland. He reigned from 1694 till 1733. He wanted Dresden to become the most important royal residence. Under his rule, European porcelain/china was invented in Dresden and Meißen (a city near Dresden). His reign was the beginning of Dresden’s emergence as a leading European city for technology and art.

Thirty years later, Frederick August III came to power. Ok, this might be a little confusing: where are we in history now? As you might know in 1806, the Holy Roman Empire came to an end. Saxony became a kingdom and Frederick August III became King Frederick August I. Alright, I don’t want to bore you with details. It’s kind of confusing, I know.

During the 19th century the city became a major center of industry, including automobile production, food processing, and the production of medical equipment.

Dresden is also known for the controversial firebombing of the city by Allied air forces during World War II. I don’t want to go too deep into that topic – it would just take too long. Some think the bombing was a tragic occurrence that Nazi Germany brought upon itself, others feel it should be treated as a war crime. Others see it as a military necessary action taken to support the Red Army. Fortunately, much of the city has been restored. Today, Dresden has a strong partnership with the English city Coventry, which was heavily damaged by German air attacks. I think there is a book I can recommend, of which I heard it’s pretty good: “Dresden: Tuesday, 13 February, 1945 by Frederick Taylor.

Right now, the city is celebrating its 800-year anniversary . We do even have a clock counting down the days, hours, minutes and seconds.

Ok, we now want to show you some of the major sights of Dresden. Any questions so far?

Zwinger

We just walked through the Crown Gate which is the town’s landmark and one of the main entrances to the Zwinger. The word Zwinger means „intramural“.

Commissioned by August the Strong, it was constructed in 1709-1739. Three of the four wings were built by the famous architect Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann. The sculptures - you can see many of them here – are masterpieces of Balthasar Permoser. The fourth wing was added by Gottfried Semper in the 19th century. In its architecture, the baroque building is modeled on a Roman amphitheater. The courtyard is completely surrounded by galleries into which pavilions and gates were set. In former times, this courtyard was used to stage tournaments, festivals and firework displays. Let’s move on to the Nymph’s bath.

The Nymph’s bath is a quiet and romantic little yard with nymph sculptures and an artificial small cascade. The carillon was made of many porcelain bells.

The Zwinger still hosts a very rich art collection. Famous museums are for example: the Old Masters Picture Gallery with paintings from Rembrandt, Rubens and Dürer and one of the most famous paintings in the world, the Sistine Madonna by Raphael, the Armory which is a collection of historical weapons and the Porcelain Collection from August the Strong which contains Chinese Porcelain (partly from the 15th century) as well as local Porcelain from Meißen.

The Zwinger was mostly destroyed by the bombings of February 1945. After World War II there was a referendum held on the future of the Zwinger. The people of Dresden voted to restore the building.

Semperoper

The Semper Oper or Saxon State Opera. The building is considered to be a prime example of "Dresden-Baroque" architecture. It is situated on the Theater Square in central Dresden on the bank of the Elbe River. On top of the portal there is a Pantherquadriga with a statue of Dionysos. It was first built in 1841, by architect Gottfried Semper, in the Early Renaissance style. It had to be rebuilt after a fire destroyed it in 1869. his son Manfred Semper completed the second opera house with his father's plans. This second one was constructed in High Renaissance style in 1878.

During the last weeks of World War II in 1945 the building was destroyed again - this time by Allied bombing and the subsequent fire storms. Exactly 40 years later, on February 13, 1985 the opera was rebuilt almost the same as it was before the war During the flood of the Elbe in 2002 the building suffered heavy water damage. With substantial fiancial donations from around the world, it reopened in December 2002.

Hofkirche

Here we are on Schlossplatz and this is the former Court Church (Hofkirche), a Catholic cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of St. Trinitatis.

It was built between 1739 and 1755. Its construction was started by the Italian Gaetano Chiaveri and was continued by 3 further architects. It is a wonderful combination of Roman and German Baroque architecture.

It used to be the Catholic court church of the Saxon court and is the cathedral of the diocese Dresden-Meißen since 1980. It is the largest church in Saxony. It suffered from the bombs of the 2nd World War on February 13, 1945. Actually it was destroyed.

Since then the church services had been ministered in another chapel, later on in the left aisle of the rebuilt church. In 1962 the nave could be used again. The building was reconstructed from 1946 till 1987.

The interior includes:

• a Rococo pulpit by Balthasar Permoser
• an altarpiece by Anton Raphael Mengs
• and an over 250 years old organ built by the famous Gottfried Silbermann
• The crypt (which is located under the church) contains 49 tombs of Saxon rulers. Or rather, the Catholic members of the dynasty of the Wettins were buried there.

Additionally, we find a box containing the heart of August the Strong there. Since the church has become cathedral, the bishops were also buried in a vault under it.

Organ vespers take place every Sunday at 4 p.m.

So let’s move on to the Royal Palace which has also been almost completely destroyed in the last months of the 2nd World War. Dresden’s Residential Castle

For many centuries, Dresden Castle served as the seat of the Saxon dukes, electors and kings. It was, for example, the former residence of the Wettin family. Georg der Bärtige (George the Bearded) built the castle in the 16th century. It was expanded several times in various architectural genres. The most recent extensions – before the Second World War – were added in 1889 and 1901. These extensions gave the castle a uniform image of the neo-Renaissance.

A vast, irregular, multi-wing complex of buildings, the castle is not yet fully restored. The wings, which have been completed, are now used for temporary exhibitions. Three neo-Renaissance gables decorate the wing; and, on the corners, two towers that have narrow cupolas and balustrades flank it. These sandstone towers create a contrast with the ochre stucco façade. It was in the course of history several times destroyed and reconstructed.

In February 1945, the castle was completely burnt out and went, eventually to ruins in the bomb attacks. Since 1989, the castle has been under reconstruction, which was supposed to be completed by 2006, just in time for the town’s 800th anniversary. As you can see, a large part of the reconstruction work is already completed.

The Hausmannsturm, the tall tower which dominates the north wing of the castle, was built in 1674-76 by Caspar von Klengel. The tower is 101 m (about 331 feet) high and we will have the opportunity to ascend it later on to afford a great view of Dresden and its skyline.

Fürstenzug - Royal Procession

At the outside of Dresden Palace there is the Royal Procession. The Fürstenzug is a chronological procession of margraves, prince electors and kings. It represents the ruling members of the Wettin Dynasty from 1123 till 1904. The Wettin dynasty which ruled todays Saxony for more than 800 years and e.g. August the Strong was also holding kingship of Poland for a time. This wall picture is 102 meters long, 9.5 meter high, nearly 100 m².

The painting existed already in 1589. In 1876, it was renewed but it was not weatherproof. At the beginning of the 20th century (from 1904 to 1907) the complete wall picture was copied on approx. 25,000 tiles of Meißen Porcelain. It is now the largest porcelain picture of the world. You can see all the names and the duration of their reign. The Fürstenzug was nearly not damaged in the 2nd WW. Only 200 tiles had to be renewed.

There is only one king missing who ruled from 1904 till 1918 when he was forced to resign. August the Strong (1670- 1733, reigned 1694-1733 as August II)

Dresdner Frauenkirche ("Church of Our Lady")

This Lutheran church was destroyed in the firebombing of Dresden during World War II and has been reconstructed as a landmark symbol of reconciliation between former warring enemies. The reconstruction of its exterior was completed in 2004, its interior in 2005 The original baroque church was built between 1726 and 1743 and was designed by Dresden's city architect George Bähr and organ maker Gottfried Silbermann (1683-1753) The church's most distinctive feature was its unconventional 314-foot-high dome, called die Steinerne Glocke or "Stone Bell". On 13 February 1945, Anglo-American allied forces began the bombing of Dresden. The church survived two days and nights of the attacks held up long enough for the evacuation of 300 people who had sought shelter in the church crypt, before succumbing to the heat generated by some 650,000 bombs that were dropped on the city. The temperature surrounding and inside the church eventually reached 1,000 degrees Celsius. The dome finally collapsed at 10 a.m. on 15 February. The blackened stones would lie in wait in the center of the city for the next 45 years as Communist rule began in East Germany. Shortly after the end of World War II, residents of Dresden had already begun salvaging unique stone fragments from the Frauenkirche and numbering them for future use in reconstruction. Popular sentiment discouraged the authorities from clearing the ruins away to make a parking lot. There had already been intentions to rebuild the church during the last months of World War II. However, due to political circumstances in the GDR, the reconstruction later came to a halt. The heap of ruins was conserved as a war memorial within the inner city of Dresden. After the reunification of Germany, efforts were revived. In 1989, a Citizens' Initiative was formed. Rebuilding the Frauenkirche cost €180 million. The foundation stone was laid in 1994, the crypt was completed in 1996 and the inner cupola in 2000. As the older stones are covered with a darker patina, due to fire damage and weathering, the difference between old and new stones will be clearly visible for a number of years after reconstruction. Two thousand pieces of the original altar were cleaned and incorporated into the new structure. When it came time to duplicate the oak doors of the entrance, the builders had only vague descriptions of the detailed carving. Because people (especially wedding parties) often posed for photos outside the church doors, they issued an appeal for old photographs and the response (which included entire wedding albums) allowed artisans to recreate the original doors. The new gilded cross on top of the dome was constructed by Alan Smith, a British goldsmith whose father, Frank, was a member of one of the aircrews who took part in the bombing of Dresden. The cross that once topped the dome, now twisted and charred, stands to the right of the new altar. Seven new bells were cast for the church. They rang for the first time for the Pentecost celebration in 2003. A bronze statue of reformer and theologian Martin Luther, which survived the bombings, has been restored and again stands in front of the church.

Brühlsche Terrasse - Brühl’s terrace

500m-long and 20-200m wide terrace built on top of the fortifications (Befestigung) built to defend the city in the 16th century. Named after Count of Brühl (Graf von Brühl 1700-1763)

These terraces have the nickname "Balcony of Europe" because of its beautiful view of the river Elbe with the Augustus Bridge and several historical buildings. Under the terrace there are the casemates of the old castle. The expression Balcony of Europe was shaped by Canaletto, a painter from Venice. If you want to enjoy the so called Canaletto-view you have to cross the river and from the other side you can have a beautiful view over Brühl’s terrace, the Frauenkirche and all the other buildings.

In about 1707 in the casemattes of the terrace the alchemist Böttger and another physicist reinvented the porcelaine, as porcelaine itself was known from China but the ingredients were not known. The earliest porcelain was smoky in tone and not highly translucent, but it was improved subsequently. Böttger did not really work (for August the Strong) freely but he was his prisoner. At that time porcelaine was very expensive and also called the white gold. From 1970 up to now porcelaine is produced in Meißen near Dresden. An underglaze blue decoration called Zwiebelmuster, or onion pattern, was introduced later. Meissen porcelain is marked with crossed blue swords.

Other side:

• Ministry of Finance
• Chancellery
• Filmnächte am Elbufer
  • It is an open-air cinema
  • Amphitheatre and Europe’s largest portable silver screen
  • During the sommer months movies are shown every evening and there are also concerts
• It is really nice to sit there enjoy a movie against the backdrop of the old town.
• further information
  • Dresden has the largest fleet of historic paddle steamboats of the world.
  • Annually on May 1st there is a large parade.

HISTORY OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY IN DRESDEN

In 1938, the original synagogue was built up by Gottfried Semper. It has been destroyed by the national socialists in the night of November 9, 1938 Finally it was pulled down In 1933, the Jewish community consisted of about 5000 members Through the events of the national socialist period there were only 41 (!) members left (1945) To give the Jewish community a temporary meeting place the building on the cemetery Friedrichstraße was changed into a synagogue.

Dresden Synagogue

1997 the architect office Wandel Hoefer Lorch won the competition to build a new synagogue It was built up at the original place between Carolabrücke and Brühlsche Terrasse from 2000 to 2001 To lay the foundations of the building took place june 21, 2001 exactly 162 years after the first one On September 9, 2001 the synagogue was consecrate festive The contrast between the massive walls outside the building and the golden kind of metal inside shall demonstrate that the synagogue is both: temple and tent As you can see there are no windows. They would destroy the monumental character of the walls The second building you can see, is the community centre Cultural events, discussions took place there (for example)

The new synagogue

the height and the material for the building was adapted to the imaginations of the population of Dresden, to integrate the building in the urban features the jewish community wants to open the synagogue for everybody because they have a liberal view to demonstrate this you can read the slogan above the entrance “ ein haus allen völkern” what means “a building to all peoples” all the services are hold in Hebrew, actual topics are hold in german services are accompanied by a choir or the organ

THE CONSTRUCTION

The:

• forecourt is bulkheaded off the noises of daily life with high walls to give people the silence they need
• cube is turned toward east direction to Jerusalem
• constructors chose the form of a cube because those was the form of the first temples of the Israelites
• height is around 24 metres
• golden star you can see on the entrance of the new synagogue is the only remnant of the original
  • It could be saved because it has been hidden during the second world war