Dresden

May 5 - 7, 2015

On the shores of the Elbe River, across from Dresden we had lovely views.

Dresden's answer to Louis XIV was Augustus the Strong (1670-1733). As both prince elector of Saxony and king of Poland, he imported artists from all over Europe filling his treasury with lavish jewels and artwork, and creating grand architecture in Dresden, sometimes called "Florence of the North".

This is the opera house.

His real name was Friedrich Augustus l, the most important of the Saxon kings of the Wettin family which ruled 700 years, exemplified royal excess and made Dresden one of Europe's most important cities of culture.
He was a clever diplomat and a lover of the arts.

His collection included Raphael's Sistine Madonna.

The Historic Green Vault has Augustus' goodies displayed in reconstructed Baroque halls. We needed timed tickets to enter because the Green Vault is very popular. Within these rooms were Friedrich's favorite knickknacks!

The old Masters Gallery of paintings was particularly enjoyable for its "quality, not quantity" approach to showing off great art.

After WWII, nearly all of the city's artwork ended up in Moscow until after Stalin's death in 1953, when it was returned by the communist regime to win over their East German subjects.

Wow, love those flowers.

I visited the opulent interior of the Semperoper opera house which was reminiscent of the Bolshoi in Moscow.

Destroyed by Allied firebombing in WWII, Frauenkirche, a landmark Lutheran Church, sat in ruins until 1992 when it was rebuilt at a cost of more than 100 million euros, 90% of which came from donors around the world.

We climbed 222 steps up in the palace to reach this viewing platform.

Afterward we heard this choir sing in the Catholic Church.

Wonderful Dresden.