By: Debanjana Maitra
Dresden
Dresen, the grandiose capital of Saxony, the eastern state of Germany, lies on the bank of the Elbe River.
Dresden Opera House
The ruler of Saxony was famous for inviting artists from all over Europe , especially from Italy. He wanted to build the city that displays grand architecture and therefore Dresden also came to be known as the “Florence on the Elbe” after the city of Florence in Italy.
On the night of Feb 13, 1945, the Allied forces had bombed the city and turned it into rubble, killing 25,000 people. The bombing was so fierce that it created a climatic condition of its own in the form of a firestorm.
Most of the old town which had turned into a pile of rubble remained so for the next few decades.
Dresden, which was ruled by the Communist East Germany after WWII, was also known as the valley of the clueless.It was one of the few places in Germany that had not been exposed to the western television.
After the fall of the Berlin wall, Dresden’s historic center was rebuilt into a charming city.
Frauenkirche
The Frauenkirche church was the tallest church in Germany in the 1940s.
Central Square and Swinger Palace (right bottom)
The central square, once a home to rich merchants, is now alive with cafes and Biergartens.
The city is well connected by trams and buses.
