During the four years of living in Dresden, I walked the length and breadth of this city. But my night walks have always been especially memorable for me. When, with the onset of darkness, the city turns on its lights, and people and cars disappear from the streets, the world around turns into luxurious scenery, which everyone is free to fill with images and meaning that are understandable to him alone. It is at this time of day that you can feel alone with the city and disappear into its deserted labyrinths.
01. Another summer night in Dresden. The city shines with millions of lights and illuminated sky-high silhouettes...
02. From the window of my room there is a view of one of the central sleeping areas of the city, which becomes a sleeping area in the literal sense of the word when it gets dark. The moon floated into the sky like a yellow lantern.
03. Another view from the window. I took this photo one stormy night when I was catching lightning through my lens. It’s night in the picture, just lightning in the thick of the clouds illuminates them so much that the visibility is like evening.
04. The same view from the window one night when the city was shrouded in fog.
05. From the balcony in the kitchen of our dormitory I could see beautiful view to the main transport artery of Dresden. In the distance you can see the spiers of the old city and the clock dial of the town hall tower shines with a white dot. The tower itself is black and not illuminated, so in the photo it blends into the dark sky and is not visible.
06. The same view in the fog.
On this warm summer night, I go out for another walk around the city center, which will bring me another dose of inspiration, positive emotions and pleasant thoughts. The player plays your favorite music, and you have a camera in your bag on your shoulder. I go for a walk lightly without a tripod, I’ll shoot handheld and it doesn’t matter that the quality won’t be the same, the main thing is to capture the atmosphere, the aura of the city and try to capture it.
07. In the photo, my house is the dormitory where I lived for four happy years of my student life.
08. Immediately across the road from the hostel there is a tram stop, through which half of the city's tram routes pass; behind the stop rises the futuristic building of the UFA Palast cinema, which resembles a ship from this side.
09. The main shopping street of the city, Prager Straße, connecting the station and the historical center of the city. During the day there is a seething stream of people, which completely dries up by ten in the evening - the time when the last shopping center closes.
10. What I love about Dresden is the diversity of its districts and their stylistic integrity. If old town- then there is a complete historical building around, if there is a Soviet avenue, then there is pure GDR aesthetics all around.
11. Dresden also has such futuristic landscapes.
12. Entrance portal leading to the cinema building.
13. Altmarkt is the largest square in Dresden, where seasonal fairs and flea markets are held, as well as one of the most famous Christmas markets in Germany, Striezelmarkt.
14. Adjacent to the square is a very cozy area of zucchini and cafes with GDR buildings.
15. An excellent example of how cozy a Khrushchev-panel area can be if it is landscaped with soul and style. Love this place in Dresden.
16. Yellow Dresden trams have long been an integral part of the city landscape.
17. In the photo, the GDR heritage is the Dresden Palace of Culture located in the very center of the city. This architectural style may have its own beauty and grace, but I always thought such buildings were ugly. Moreover, the Palace of Culture is closely adjacent to the old city and does not fit into the general architectural environment at all, being dissonant with it.
18. Another favorite corner of Dresden is Neumarkt Square. On the left in the photo is the building of the Dresden Transport Museum, behind it is a complex of newly built hotels, and on the right in the photo main symbol city - Frauenkirche, reborn from ruins, like Dresden itself. This is the busiest corner of the old city, even at night passersby walk here.
19. Despite the fact that most The buildings in this part of the city are new; the restored old city looks beautiful and atmospheric. Such a remodel, which creates a holistic and entourage architectural ensemble, is better than modern glass buildings.
20. I dive under the arch and continue my walk through the old city. During the day, these streets are teeming with tourists, there is activity and noise here, and closer to midnight you can walk right through the old city and not meet a single person.
21. I can’t count how many soles I have worn on the pavement of these areas during my night walks. My walks through the night streets of the old city with a player in my ears always charged me with inspiration and creative energy in moments of joy, and consoled and healed my soul in moments of sadness. Always, when I was sad and heavy at heart, I turned on my favorite music in the player and wandered through these streets for hours and the sadness went away. The city has always been my best antidepressant.
22. The houses on the right side of the street were built quite recently, just a few years ago. When I moved to Dresden, there was a vacant lot in their place. It’s great that they were built in a retro style and fit into the general surroundings, thanks to which this street retained its magical atmosphere and comfort.
23. Dresden lanterns are poetry!
24. It's magic!
25. If you look closely, you can see what an interesting shadow the lanterns cast on the pavement.
26. I leave this part of the old city and head to the river.
27. The city embankment is another place where I really like to walk. Rarely has my walk through the evening city been complete without an obligatory visit to that part of it that adjoins the river.
28. View of the old city from the bridge.
29. Probably the most famous postcard view of Dresden.
30. I went down to the water to take a couple of shutter speed shots of this beauty, making an improvised tripod out of stones.
31. For some more time I walk leisurely by the water and admire the old city illuminated at night to the music of my favorite band Kitchen Records.
32. Golden Horseman.
33. Another view of the old city from the side.
34. The photo is blurry, but it has a mood and atmosphere, I like this photo.
35. The story about a walk through the old city would not be complete without one more entourage place - the theater square.
36. Aristocratic and magnificent opera by Semper.
37. Lanterns on Theater Square.
38. Long Dresden tram.
39. Another great place for evening walks is Bruhl's terrace.
40. This place is very popular with tourists and during the day it is not crowded. Walking here at night is a real pleasure.
41. You can wander endlessly through the streets of the old city; this is a paradise for a perfectionist and an esthete.
42. I can’t help but add a couple of classic photos of the city embankment to this post. Although these two pictures were taken during another walk of mine.
43. You can print postcards.
Well, at the end of this post there are a few more photos taken in different times from the window of my room. The next few pictures were taken by me during a thunderstorm. This was my first experience of catching lightning through the lens and the best of what I managed to catch is what you see in these photographs.
44. In this photo it’s actually night, it’s just that a flash of lightning illuminated the surrounding landscape.
45. A couple more lightning bolts.
46. My best shot from that lightning hunt.
47. View of the neighboring twin dorm from my window on that stormy night.
48. The same view, but in the morning of another day. Dawn slowly lights up on the horizon.
49. I’ll probably end this night post with this photo of the dawn.
Trams in Dresden are very comfortable. We bought everyone a ticket “for the day.” It is valid for 4 hours on any tram in any direction and the price for an adult is 4.50 euros, for teenagers (under 16 years old) 2.70. It seems so, if I'm not confusing anything. We boarded “any” tram moving to the center and drove off
We got to Albertplatz, where I had to get off because the fountains caught my attention, and the rain stopped for a while 
Two, at first glance identical, but completely different fountains are located on both sides of a wide street
The rain stopped and immediately all the benches around the fountains were filled with young people. There are few tourists in this part of the city; they mostly hang out in the historical center.
Surrounded by a residential area, mostly low-rise buildings 
Around which there are a lot of cars "dinosaurs" 
And a lot of greenery 
And then it started to rain again, and there wasn’t a soul in the area. 
We rode the tram a little more, but didn't find anything particularly interesting. maybe a balcony with... I don’t know what it is, but since it’s attached, it means someone needs it 
We returned to the beginning (or is it the end?) Karolaplatz, again got off the tram to admire the disgustingly golden monument “Golden Horseman” 
there are funny fountains next to the statue 
Oh yes, the statue is of the Saxon prince and Polish king Augustus the Strong, dressed in Roman chain mail, and he is looking in the direction of Poland. The Golden Horseman is the symbol of the city. They say that during the Seven Years' War, one Prussian soldier tried to cut off a horse's horseshoe at night. He, a fool, thought that the statue was actually made of gold. Naturally, nothing worked out for the war, but he left traces on the monument. They say that if you look hard enough, you can find these traces. We didn't find it, no matter how hard we looked. 
Here is the historical center of the city, across the Elbe River 
There are already plenty of tourists there, on the other side 
In general, I love rainy weather, the sun doesn’t shine into the lens :) The main thing is that the rain doesn’t hit at an oblique angle 
We also went for a drive to another area of Dresden; in the residential areas there is a general feeling that everyone has died out, and there is absolutely nothing interesting there 
So we returned to the center and got a little wet in the rain. 
I wanted to take another ride on this ancient steamship, but my men were indignant and said that it was time for them to go home and warm up. 
Oh well. We reached the central tram stop (I have a photo somewhere, I’ll look for it and show you next time), boarded the tram and trammed home 
Public transport in Dresden is distinguished not only by its well-organized German style, but also by its amazing diversity, including rare and outdated types of vehicles.
Urban transport in Dresden is managed by the state-owned company Dresden Transport Corporation (DVB) as well as the Upper Elbe Transport Association (VVO). The basis of the unified urban transport system in Dresden consists of several dozen bus and tram routes, S-Bahn city train lines, river ferries and 2 funiculars.
The public transport schedule in Dresden can be checked or.
Buses and trams in Dresden
12 tram and 27 bus lines () play a leading role in the transport provision of Dresden. Dresden buses (Stadtbus) and trams allow you not only to move freely around the city, but also to explore its most important attractions along the way.
On popular routes, buses and trams run every 15-20 minutes, and on peripheral routes - every 20-30 minutes. At night, the traffic interval may increase several times.
There are special “tourist” routes that cover most of the interesting places in Dresden and its suburbs in one trip. These, in particular, include tram routes No. 4 and 9 (an overview of the most interesting cultural monuments and the best places for, respectively), as well as double-decker buses Stadtrundfahrt, departing daily to sightseeing tours from Teatralnaya Square (parking opposite). The cost of a trip on a double-decker sightseeing bus in Dresden is 15 € for 1.5 hours or 32 € for 2.5 hours.
 |
|
S-Bahn trains in Dresden
There are 3 S-Bahn lines connecting the city with important suburban areas of Dresden:
- Line S1 - from Meissen to Schöna, via Pirna (Saxon Switzerland)
- Line S2 - from Central Station to International airport Dresden
- Line S3 - from Central Station to Tharandt, via Freital
Water city transport in Dresden
River ferries transporting residents and guests of Dresden along the Elbe are considered one of the most romantic types of urban transport. Ferries in Dresden operate all year round, regardless of weather conditions.
In total, there are 5 ferry routes in the city: one car, crossing the Elbe between the Kleinzschachwitz area and Pillnitz Castle, as well as 4 passenger routes, running between the Laubegast area and Niederpoeritz, Johannstadt and Neustadt, the areas of Kossebaude and Radebeul.
Dresden is famous for the fact that in addition to the usual river ferries, it has the largest fleet of historical steam-powered wheeled boats in Europe. Miniature steamboats regularly travel up (to Saxon Switzerland) and down (to the city of Meissen) along the Elbe.
The central station from which paddle steamer routes depart in Dresden is located opposite one of the city's most popular attractions -. Steamship navigation continues from early April to late October.
Dresden funiculars
In Dresden, there are 2 funiculars of different designs, located in the Elbe Valley. Today it performs not so much functions public transport, how much the role of a popular tourist attraction.
The first of them is called the Dresden Cableway (opened in 1901, length - 256 m) and is a monorail with a suspended cabin. It connects the remote areas of the city - Loschwitz and Oberloschwitz.
The second funicular (began operating in 1985, length - 547 m) connects Loschwitz, located high on the hill, with the neighboring area of villas "White Deer" (Weißer Hirsch). Along the way, the road passes through 2 mountain tunnels.
A one-way trip on the Dresden funicular costs 3 €, and a return trip costs 4 €.
Both routes pass next to the famous Blue Wonder Bridge, and their upper stations provide an ideal vantage point for panoramic views of Dresden.
Other types of public transport in Dresden
One of the most unusual types of Dresden transport is the narrow-gauge railway (length - 20 km), passing through the territory of Dresden's main park - Grosser Garten. A miniature train has been carrying park visitors large and small in the summer since the mid-20th century. On the "park" railway You can find both the usual electric locomotives and a working smaller version of an old steam locomotive.
Another unusual form of transport in Dresden is horse-drawn carriages (Kutschfahrt), which can be seen in the central squares of the city in the summer. Horse-drawn carriages vary in size and shape - from elegant cabs and carriages to bulky double-decker carts designed for large groups of tourists.
A half-hour horseback ride around Dresden will cost an average of 15 € per person.
Tickets and prices
Travel on public transport in Dresden is paid for using universal tickets and travel cards valid for all types of transport. They can be purchased from automatic ticket offices (at stations and stops), from bus and tram drivers, from regular ticket offices (owned by DVB), from some newsagents, and from tourist information centres.
Once purchased, the pass must be validated at the yellow machine (Entwerter) to make it valid. The fine for traveling without a ticket in Dresden is 40 €.
The territory of Dresden and surrounding areas is divided into 21, the intersection of which increases the cost of the ticket. The most popular transport zone No. 10 covers almost the entire territory of Dresden.
Tickets for public transport in Dresden are divided into several types, depending on the duration and distance of the trip.
The most popular types of tickets include: single-trip ticket (2.2-7.8 €), 4-trip ticket (5-7.8 €), day ticket (6-13.5 €), and travel cards Dresden-City-Card (valid for 1-5 days and costing 9.9-77 €) and Dresden-Regio-Card (valid for 3 and 5 days, price 49.9-77 €), which additionally gives the right for discounts on many popular attractions and excursions in Dresden.
Dresden is the capital of Saxony and a city with a population of 536,000 people. Public transport in the city is well developed and includes tram, bus and train. In this article you will learn how to use public transport in Dresden, how much it costs and clearly see maps of tram and bus routes
Below you can see Dresden's tariff zones. The fare depends on which zone you are traveling in. If you only drive around Dresden, then you will need information about zone 10, don’t even think about the rest.
Travel costs in Dresden
All prices in the table below are for travel within one zone 10 (central part of Dresden). Check ticket prices for the other two zones on the Dresden public transport website.
- Single trip ticket ( Einzelfahrt): adult ticket € 2.30, child ticket € 1.60.
- 1 day pass ( Tageskarte): adult ticket € 6.00, child ticket € 5.00.
- Group pass for 1 day (maximum 4 people) ( Kleingruppenkarte): € 15,00.
- 1 day family pass (2 adults and 5 children) ( Familientageskarte): € 9,00.
- 1 week pass: adult pass € 21.00, child pass € 16.00.
- 1 month pass: adult pass € 59, child pass € 44.30.
- 1 year pass: adult pass € 565.80, child pass € 424.20.
Single trip ticket Einzelfahrt gives you the right to travel for 1 hour, during which time you can make as many transfers to any type of transport as possible. The ticket is valid only after you have validated it in a special machine; all types of tickets must be validated. If you do not pay for the fare, then you will face a fine of € 60, and the controllers will never accept your position; if you did not understand how to buy a ticket or bought the wrong ticket, a fine will be issued in any case.
Where to buy tickets
Travel tickets are sold at ticket machines at 145 stops, 50 of these machines accept credit cards and cash, in other machines you can only pay in cash. All trams have ticket machines, some of which allow you to pay only in small change, and these machines do not sell all types of tickets; usually you can only buy a ticket for one trip or a day pass.
On the bus, you can buy a ticket from the driver.
In addition, tickets are sold in many hotels, tobacco shops and newsstands. Just go to the seller and ask if you can buy a bus ticket: “Kann Ich hier Busticket kaufen?”
On the official website of Dresden public transport Dvb.de you can download current maps of trams and electric trains. On the website you will find out the price of all types of tickets for all zones, the schedule of all routes, you will be able to plot the optimal route from point A to point B and even find out basic information about the main attractions of Dresden. Do you see in the screenshot below? As I navigated the route from Dresden Main Station to the Bautzner Straße / Rothenburger Straße stop, the site provided information about which tram to take, where to get off and how long the journey would take.
The most important and convenient form of transport in Dresden is the tram. The first trams appeared in Dresden back in 1872, and currently the city has a well-developed tram route, which consists of 13 routes, 154 tram stops, and 210 kilometers of tracks. Dresden's tram fleet consists mainly of modern Flexity Classic Bombardier trams.
The length of the routes ranges from 11 to 38 km. Travel times on various routes between destinations vary from 35 to 80 minutes. Depending on the route, trams run from approximately 4 am to midnight at intervals of 3-15 minutes. On weekends and holidays, traffic intervals increase. Some tram routes operate 24 hours a day.
At almost every tram and bus stop you can find a ticket vending machine, route numbers, transport schedules, a city map and sometimes an electronic board that shows the arrival time of a tram on a certain route.
On the map below you can see all of Dresden's tram routes, some important bus routes and a map of the trains that will take you to the suburbs.
When choosing a hotel in Dresden, consider its convenient location to major attractions, shopping and tram lines. I would recommend staying somewhere close to the Altmarkt tram stop, such as the good four-star Steigenberger Hotel de Saxe or the Pullman Dresden Newa hotel near Dresden's main station.
Almost every part of the city can be reached by tram, but there are remote areas in the city that can be reached by bus. Dresden's bus network consists of 27 routes. The bus network is quite easy to understand, at every bus stop you will find the same information as at the tram stop. The city has both day and night bus routes. Daytime ones run from approximately 4 am to 10 pm, at intervals of approximately 10-15 minutes, which depend on the time of day and day of the week. Buses in Dresden are new and modern.
Water transport
In Dresden, a ferry crossing across the Elbe is developed along the following routes: Johannstadt - Neustadt, Niederpoyritz - Laubegast, Kleinzschachwitz - Pillnitz.
One way fare: adult ticket € 1.50, child ticket € 1.00. Return ticket: adult ticket € 2.00, child ticket € 1.50. The crossing time takes only 3 minutes.
Funicular
Not everyone knows that you can admire Dresden from interesting observation platforms, to which the funicular takes you. Observation platforms are located at an altitude of 647 meters and 274 meters. The funiculars in the Loschwitz area have been in operation for 100 years. Schwebebahn 274 meter a - this is one of the interesting types of funicular, namely a cable car, in fact it is a monorail, but the car rides under the rail. Standseilbahn 647 meters is a classic funicular, opened back in 1895.
- One-way cable car ticket price: adult ticket € 4.00, child ticket € 2.60.
- Return ticket price for the funicular: adult ticket € 6.00, child ticket € 3.00.
Trains and stations
In Dresden, as in other German cities, there is a developed network of surface trains - electric trains. Those. You can get around the city by train. There are three routes for electric trains: S1, S2 and S3. Remember, in Germany, commuter trains (suburban trains) are always marked with the letter S. In Dresden and its suburbs you will find approximately 47 stops. Within Dresden you can travel using regular tickets; if you are traveling to another city, it is better to buy tickets at the railway ticket office or from vending machines at railway stations.
Dresden Main Station (Dresden HBF or Dresden Dresden Hauptbahnhof) is Dresden's largest public transport hub. Many main tram and bus routes pass through it. Trains from all over Europe and Germany arrive at this station, for example, trains from Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Nuremberg. International buses also arrive at this station, including buses from Prague, Berlin.
I want to warn you right away that bus tickets international destinations It will cost you much less than the train. Bus tickets throughout Europe can be purchased on the website. The site compares ticket prices from all companies for the same destinations and you don’t need to waste time searching for the right bus company. The site is in Russian, payment can be made by card in any currency: Euro, Czech crowns, rubles and hryvnia. Ticket prices for Infobus are the same as on the official websites of bus companies; you won’t overpay a penny. Please note that cheap tickets to popular destinations sell out very quickly, especially in the summer, so do not delay your purchase.
Taxi in Dresden
Taxis are part of Dresden's transport system. Taxis can drive in special dedicated bus lanes. When traveling by taxi you should consider:
- It is more expensive to order a taxi by phone, because... you will need to pay for the paid call.
- Most taxis can only be ordered in German.
- When calculating, the amount called by the taxi driver must match the amount on the meter, you must be given a receipt and change.
- It is better to board a taxi in specially designated taxi parking areas with the appropriate TAXI designation, although they are not always located in a convenient location.
Information on taxi fares in Dresden. The price of a taxi fare does not depend on the number of passengers, but depends on the time of day and the number of traffic jams in the city. Landing cost: € 2.8. Travel price per 1 km: € 1.5 - € 2.0.
Also keep in mind that the taxi meter will count the fee when you are idle in a traffic jam, at traffic lights or at any other stop.
The center of modern Dresden is a strange sight - randomly scattered buildings of different colors, large wastelands, poorly organized squares, which are essentially the same wastelands.
No, of course, the famous Dresden buildings have been restored: the Zwinger, the royal palace, the Brühl terrace, and even after 60 years - the Frauenkirche. But this is a drop in the ocean of a big city.
Looking at the center of Dresden, you wonder: was there any post-war urban plan? Did architects even participate in this spontaneous development? Why did they torture the body of the city so much, breaking the historical grid of streets?
But Dresden was one of the most beautiful cities in Germany. Was. Until February 13, 1945.
We have amazing DVD films “Old Dresden from the Tram Window” at home. We don’t know for what purposes they were intended, but archival films with filming of Dresden streets, made in the 1920s from the driver’s cabin on several tram routes, have been preserved, and along the entire route from the starting point of the route to the final stop.
Just imagine, you are sitting on a tram, and narrow crowded streets with dense multi-storey buildings, boulevards, elegant squares are passing by...
Inspired by what we saw in the films, we made an attempt to find at least some crumbs and, calling on our imagination to help, take a walk through the non-existent Dresden.
The era of greenery in Germany was accompanied by a construction boom. Public buildings, banks, churches, and apartment buildings appeared like mushrooms after rain. Solid and strong, overloaded with decoration and sculpture, they continued the traditions of Renaissance-Baroque architecture existing in the city.
In the Aussere Neustadt area, an example of the complex development of the Martin-Luther-Platz square (1879-98, Ernst Giese & Bernhard Paul Weidner) has been preserved. In the center of the square measuring 75x160 m in the public garden stands the Martin Luther Church / Martin-Luther-Kirche.
Along the perimeter of the square, 4- and 5-story residential buildings stand shoulder to shoulder.
In principle, the neighborhoods of the Dresden era are not very different from similar ones in many European cities.
Not far from the square there is Bautzner-Strasse / Bautzner Strasse.
In one of the houses on this street is the famous “Pfund Brothers Dairy Store,” founded in 1891 and retaining the appearance it received in 1910. In 1997, the store was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as “the best and most beautiful dairy store in the world.” .
And this is no coincidence. Just imagine an interior with 250 (!!!) square meters hand-painted tiles from Villeroy & Boch!
One thing is bad - photography is not encouraged in the store, and therefore in our archive there is only one photo from the street and a couple of shots inside.
Even the street arch leading to the courtyard is also tiled.
To illustrate the amazing interiors of the Pfund dairy, here are a few photographs from the purchased brochure.
During restoration work:
This is what almost empty shelves looked like during the economic crisis in the GDR in the mid-70s.
And this is what the dairy looks like today.
Interior details:
In the same 1870-1880s, a prestigious area of villas was built, the so-called “Swiss Quarter”, the remains of which can be found among the Dresden “Khrushchev” buildings (Leubnitzer Strasse, Altenzeller Strasse).
Once upon a time, there were diplomatic residences in this respectable area.
The former building of the Russian diplomatic mission (Lucasstrasse, 6) was built in 1897 (architect Ludwig Wilhelm Lippold).
A few minutes walk from it stands Russian Orthodox Church(Fritz-Löffler-Strasse, 19). The temple was built in 1872-74. architect Harald Julius von Bosse, also known as Harald Ernestovich Bosse, who left a significant mark on the architecture of St. Petersburg.
Before World War II, there were also Anglican and American churches in this area, but, for obvious reasons, only the Russian one was restored. True, now she found herself standing on an “island” in the middle of a wide highway.
But the Evangelical Church of St. Luke / Lucaskirche (Lucasplatz, 1891, architect Georg Weidenbach) was restored in a simplified form in the 1960s.
Next to the Church of St. Luke there is a strange object - dilapidated external walls, no roof, inside there is a forest of trees, and on the wall there is a sign of an architectural monument...
However, our man would not be surprised by such a state of the monument!
By the beginning of the 20th century, Dresden acquired new train stations. On the site of the Bohemian Station, the monumental Main Station / Hauptbahnhof (1892-97, architect Ernst Giese, Paul Weidner) appeared.
The impressive sandstone façade is topped by a glass dome.
At the top is the sculptural group “Saxony”.
Adjacent to the station building was the Royal Pavilion, which was later converted into a cinema.
On the site of the Silesian train station, the building of the Neustadt station / Bahnhof Neustadt (Schlesischer Platz, 1, 1898-1901, architect Osmar Dürichen) grew up.
By the way, both stations were and remain through. To prevent railway tracks from becoming an obstacle to street traffic and trams, the rails are laid on high viaducts.
Near the Neustadt station, a metal viaduct has been preserved - the same age as the station.
In 1899, in the Dresden district of Neustadt, the Covered Market / Markthalle Neustadt (Ritterstrasse/Metzer Strasse, architect Edmund Bräter) appeared on the site of military barracks. The building was restored in 2000.
On the other bank of the Elbe, near the Marienbruecke bridge, there are the production and warehouse buildings of the Jenidze Tobacco Factory (Weißeritzstr., 3, architect Hermann Martin Hammitzsch), built in 1907. Today there is a hotel here, and concerts of fairy tale readers are held in the glass dome!
Fence fragment:
Entrance from the courtyard:
Design of building entrances from the street:
The windows on different floors are different.
In the second half of the 19th century, active construction of buildings for government and municipal institutions began.
Ministry of Finance (Carolaplatz, 1, 1890-94, architect Otto Wanckel):
State Chancellery (Archivstrasse, 1, 1900-04, architect Edmund Waldow, Heinrich Tscharmann):
Police Department building (Schießgasse, 7, 1895-1900, architect Julius Temper):
Three characters look out at pedestrians from the façade above the entrance to the building.
The third character is especially impressive...
New Town Hall / Neues Rathaus (Dr.-Külz-Ring, 1905-1910, architect Karl Roth, Edmund Bräter):
The complex of the Main State Archives / Hauptstaatsarchiv (Archivstrasse, 14, 1911-1915, architect Ottomar Reichelt, Heinrich Koch) consists of three buildings: a storage facility, an archive department and an entrance pavilion.
The archival office and entrance pavilion are typical representatives of the eclectic style.
But the most remarkable of the entire complex is the storage building - this is already the product of new architectural trends.
The unusual shape of the building is due to the pentagonal plot allocated for construction.
A clear vertical division of the facades, wide ribbons of windows, and minimalist decor give the building solidity, but without a feeling of heaviness.
Fire station "Neustadt" / Feuerwache Neustadt (Louisenstrasse, 16, 1916, architect Hans Erlwein) is a long symmetrical building with two projections and a low tower on the roof.
Between the arches of the first floor are medallions with images of Lightning, Wind, Water, Guardian and Arsonist.
On the pediment of the risalits there are bas-reliefs “Fire” and “Drought”.
The rear façade of the fire department building, facing a parallel street, looks quite modest.
Built 1911-13 The Drama Theater / Schauspielhaus (Theaterstrasse, 2, architect William Lossow, Hans Max Kühne) bears little resemblance to the magnificent Opera: smooth plastered walls plus some sculpture.
Judging by the surviving or restored Dresden buildings of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the favorite styles were neo-Baroque and neo-Renaissance. The meeting with representatives of the Saxon Jugendstil in the Äußere Neustadt area was a complete surprise.
Three neighboring apartment buildings (Katharinenstrasse, 1,3,5) were built in 1902-03. the same architect Friedrich Wilhelm Hertzsch.
House No. 1:
House No. 3:
House No. 5:
Then a villa with Art Nouveau decor was discovered (Zeunerstrasse, 82/84).
This villa stands among the remains of a low-rise housing estate built in the early 20th century.
After the First World War, the exuberance of Dresden's architectural decoration was tamed, and exuberance was replaced by minimalism. These changes can be clearly seen in the complex of buildings of the Dresden Technical University.
The huge, castle-like building of Georg Schumann / Georg-Schumann-Bau (Münchner Platz, 1-3, 1902-1907, architect Oskar Kramer) was originally built for the Land Court, and was given to the university during the GDR era.
Also not at all small, the Beyer-Bau building (Georg-Bähr-Strasse, 1) was built in 1910-1913. Martin Dülfer.
On the facade, facing brick alternates with colored sandstone.
“Volume” (“faceted”) windows:
Sculpture:
The building is completed by a tall observatory tower.
To be honest, we specifically went to the Technical University to look at the works of Martin Dülfer from the Dresden period. Before this, we were well aware of his Munich buildings.
Martin Dülfer, a leading and very successful architect of the Munich Jugendstil, moved to Dresden in 1906, where he headed the department of the Higher Technical School (as the Technical University was previously called). The architect died in Dresden in 1942 at the age of 83. His widow died during a bombing in February 1945, and at the same time the entire personal archive of the architect, his projects and drawings burned down.
The Fritz Förster-Bau building (Mommsenstrasse, 6) was built in 1917-1926. the same Martin Dulfer, but it seems that he is a completely different person.
The building has strict geometric shapes.
The facade, dissected by blades, is lined with clinker bricks.
Modest decorations in the form of “braids” made of brick.
And only the sinuous ornament reminds of the architect’s past passion for Art Nouveau.
A good example of Dresden architecture of the 1920s is the “City Council on Theater Street” / Stadthaus Theaterstrasse (Theaterstrasse, 11-13, 1922-23, architect Ludwig Wirth) - a rounded six-story building, faced with dark artificial stone.
The first Dresden “business center” - Hochhaus (Albert-Platz, 2a, architect Hermann Paulick) - was built in 1929.
One of the best Dresden buildings of this period is the German Hygiene Museum / Deutsches Hygiene-Museum (Lingnerplatz, 1, 1928-30, architect Wilhelm Kreis).
Although all these buildings are scattered and scattered, they still give an idea of what Dresden looked like before February 1945 - a large, rich, well-equipped city, which in a few hours turned into nothing...
Unfortunately, Dresden failed to rise from the ashes. There were some urban planning plans in the 1950s, and their implementation even began.
In 1952, the architects were given the task of creating a vast area for demonstrations. The choice fell on Dresden's oldest square, Altmarkt / Old Market. The area was increased three times, as a result of which the streets adjacent to it disappeared from the city map.
Along the western and eastern sides of the square, seven-story residential buildings were built with shops and restaurants on the lower floors (Altmarkt, 1953-56, architect Herbert Schneider, Johannes Rascher).
The western side of the square is closed by the former building of the Centrum department store (Altmarkt, 25, 1956, architect Alexander Künzer).
On the northern side of the square, it was planned to build a high-rise building similar to the one in Moscow, but the project was not implemented.
In its place in 1962-69. The Palace of Culture / Kulturpalast (Schloßstrasse, 2, architect Wolfgang Hänsch, Herbert Löschau, Heinz Zimmermann), a compact building made of glass and concrete, appeared.
On the façade facing Schloßstrasse there is a large panel “The Path of the Red Banner” / “Weg der roten Fahne”.
The south side of the square remained undeveloped until the 2000s.
In place of the narrow street running through the city center from west to east, a wide highway (Wilsdruffer Strasse) was laid. Apparently, it was planned to create a single ensemble on this street, but only a few plots were built up, and the rest was left to the mercy of fate.
In different parts of the city in the 1950s, several buildings of good architecture appeared. For example, the Higher School of Technology and Economics, formerly the Higher School of Transport (Friedrich-List-Platz, 1, 1954-60, architect Richard Paulik, Friedrich Wilhelm Wurm).
But they did not change the “weather” in the city.
By the way, another witness of that era has been preserved on Albert-Platz - a stop pavilion.
In the 1960s, they made another attempt to create a ceremonial ensemble by arranging a shopping and pedestrian street - Prager Strasse / Prazhskaya.
This was once the most elegant street in Dresden: beautiful houses, expensive fashion stores, sophisticated cafes. Now on one side, facing the street, there are three panel hotel buildings. Between them are low “glass buildings” with shops and catering establishments.
On the other side, a seemingly endless monotonous 12-story residential building stretches for 240 meters.
The fountain slightly enlivens the landscape.
A very extraordinary building on Prager Strasse is the Round Cinema / Rundkino (1970-72, architect Gerhard Landgraf, Waltraud Heischkel), which ended up in a semi-backyard as a result of a new construction boom.
The round rotunda with a diameter of 50 meters and a height of 20 meters brings pleasant variety to the world of right angles. The first floor of the building is glass. At the level of the second floor there is a hanging ornament made of a metal profile.
The top of the building resembles a zebra - light stripes of white enameled metal alternate with the dark surface of the walls, optically increasing the height of the building.
Alas, one building does not save the view of the street...
In the 2010s, the complex of buildings of the Centrum shopping gallery fit very well into the Prager Strasse ensemble.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Dresden architects and builders generally seemed to go to great lengths.
Then the unification of the two Germanys broke out, and the new buildings of the 1990s and 2000s, created in the wake of capital pouring into Dresden, brought even greater chaos.
The result is disastrous - for now Dresden remains an absolutely faceless city. "The king is dead." And for now there is no hope of ever continuing: “Long live the King!”
