Five surprising things about Dresden, a gem on the Elbe River

Local Germany

4 days ago

Many people may think of Dresden, a city of about half a million in the eastern state of Saxony, as little more than a right-wing hotspot.
That reputation isn't wholly undeserved. In federal elections earlier this year, nearly one-third of votes in Dresden's electoral district went to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Dresden is also the site of one of Germany's most notorious neo-Nazi rallies, held every February in commemoration of the bombing of the city during World War II.
But there's more to Dresden than right-wing politics. Here are five things that might surprise you about the city known affectionately as Florence on the Elbe.
Dresden has a rich cultural and artistic heritage
Dresden, which was once the capital of the Kingdom of Saxony, bears plenty of reminders of its royal history. Visitors to the city's old town can tour palaces and see what remains of the kingdom's treasures, including the crown jewels of Saxony.
The Green Vault, where the crown jewels are kept, made international headlines in 2019, when
thieves stole jewels
from the collection estimated to be worth over €100 million. Most of the jewels have since been recovered, but several remain missing.
Dresden was also the birthplace of the influential German Expressionist art movement. The group of Expressionist artists known as
Die Brücke
, or The Bridge, was founded by a group of architecture students studying in Dresden in 1905. The movement, which was later denigrated by the Nazis as 'degenerate art,' was characterized by its experimental use of color and form.
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Another famous painter with strong ties to Dresden is Caspar David Friedrich. His famous painting 'Wanderer above the Sea of Fog' depicts a man gazing out over a mountain landscape in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, near Dresden.
Caspar David Friedrich's 'Wanderer Over a Sea of Fog'. Photo: Wiki Commons
Nearby Saxon Switzerland National Park offers picturesque hikes
Outdoor enthusiasts can easily explore the sandstone peaks of Saxon Switzerland (
Sächsische Schweiz
) National Park from Dresden. Several trailheads are accessible with Dresden's S-Bahn.
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One of the most famous trails is the hike to the Bastei Bridge, a stone bridge built in the mid-1800s across a dramatic rock formation. To reach the Bastei Bridge, hikers can take the S-Bahn from Dresden to Kurort Rathen. From there, they can cross the Elbe on a ferry and hike to the bridge. The hike takes between 45 minutes and an hour.
Perhaps the most famous region named after Switzerland, Germany's Saxon Switzerland. By Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wiki Commons
Much of Dresden's old town was rebuilt, some parts as late as in the 2000s
Many Americans know about the bombing of Dresden from reading 'Slaughterhouse Five' in high school English class. The novel, which is based on author Kurt Vonnegut's experiences as a prisoner of war in Dresden during the bombing, has become an American classic.
But far fewer probably know about the decades-long process of reconstructing the city's old town, which had long been famed for its beauty.
Dresden was heavily
bombed
by British and American forces in February 1945. An estimated 25,000 people died during the bombings, and much of the city, including its historic center, was completely decimated. Landmarks including the Zwinger Palace, the city's opera house and the iconic Frauenkirche were heavily damaged or completely destroyed.
But when Germany was divided into East and West following World War II, the process of rebuilding stalled. Though parts of the Zwinger and the opera house were restored under communist rule, much of what was once the city center lay virtually untouched for decades.
It wasn't until after reunification in 1990 that the process of returning the old town to its former glory truly began. Dresden's citizens pushed to rebuild the old town, rather than to replace it with a modern city center.
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How does Germany's 'phantom border' still divide the country?
The Frauenkirche, which collapsed during the bombing and remained a pile of rubble for decades, was not reopened until 2005. Today, Dresden's painstakingly restored city center draws tourists from Germany and around the world.
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Milk chocolate was invented in Dresden
The earliest version of edible milk chocolate was produced in Dresden. But the way the Dresden chocolate manufacturer Jordan & Timaeus began producing the treat never really caught on.
Jordan & Timaeus first advertised their version of milk chocolate, which was produced with steam power and used donkey milk, in 1839. A few years later, in the 1840s Swiss chocolatiers began producing a different – and more commercially successful – type of milk chocolate.
Interestingly, the coffee filter was also invented in Dresden, by a woman named Melitta Bentz in 1908.
Dresden invests in the future with semiconductor industry
Though Dresden may be more well-known for its history, its burgeoning technology sector aims to bring the city into the future. Dresden was an electronics and manufacturing hub during the GDR (East German) era, and it has since become a hotspot for producing semiconductor chips.
Most electronics we use every day require semiconductors, and the demand for chips has only grown as AI technology booms. Dresden has emerged as one of the most important hubs for semiconductor production in Europe.
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The local government has strongly encouraged the semiconductor industry to come to Dresden. Chip manufacturers including Global Foundries,
TSMC
and Infineon have built plants in and around the city in recent years.