The Baroque Old Town is the heart of Dresden, which is why we have put together a short tour of the Old Town. Below you will also find a map to help you find your way around.

To get to the Old Town you can either:

• walk (approx. 30 min)
• or you can walk to the Louisenstraße stop and take the Tram 7 to Theaterplatz (approx. 10 min on foot and 7 min by tram)
• or you can first take a look at the Neustadt and walk this tour

There are many museums in the old town, which are only mentioned here - more information about the museums can be found here.

We start at the Theaterplatz. On the square stands the King John Monument, which was installed in 1899 to mark the 800th anniversary of the House of Wettin, which ruled Saxony at the time. Standing here you can see the Semperoper.

The Semperoper

The Semper Opera House is one of the most famous opera houses in Germany. It was named after its architect Gottfried Semper and is considered an outstanding example of neo-Renaissance architecture. The building was originally completed in 1841, but burned down in 1869 and was subsequently reopened in 1878.
The Semperoper is not only known for its impressive architecture, but also for its first-class performances. It is home to the Saxon State Opera and offers a diverse repertoire ranging from classical operas to ballet and modern productions. Numerous famous artists and conductors have worked here and the opera attracts thousands of visitors every year.
The building is characterized by its monumental façade, which is decorated with artistic reliefs and sculptures. Particularly striking are the four allegorical figures representing music, poetry, drama and music. The quadriga is located above the entrance. It shows a chariot drawn by four horses and driven by Victoria, the goddess of victory.

The Semperoper is not only beautiful from the outside, but it is also worth taking a look inside. You'll need to book a guided tour, which you can do here.

If we turn left on Theaterplatz, we come to the Zwinger.

Zwinger Palace

The Zwinger is one of the most impressive baroque buildings in Germany. Augustus the Strong commissioned the complex after visiting Louis XIV's Palace of Versailles. The palace was designed as an orangery, garden and fairground. The architect Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann designed the palace, which was built between 1710 and 1728.

The name Zwinger refers to an area between the defensive walls. In the 15th century, there was a Zwinger garden between the city walls in Dresden, which supplied the royal court with fresh products. Today's Zwinger is in a different location, but the new palace retains the name of the old garden. The Zwinger was primarily a royal entertainment venue and is characterized by richly decorated portals and extravagant fountains. The Nymph Bath by sculptor Balthasar Permoser is a fine example of the Zwinger's fabulous Baroque fountains.

Other attractions include an Atlas sculpture on the western pavilion. There is also a carillon with 40 porcelain bells that plays every 15 minutes. The carillon plays melodies by Vivaldi, Mozart, Bach, Wagner and Weber. The courtyard garden and the pond were added in the 1820s. The gallery wing, which today houses the Old Masters Picture Gallery, was built in 1855.

The Zwinger was badly damaged during the bombing raids in the Second World War. It was reconstructed in the 1950s. The Zwinger houses three museums, including the Old Masters Gallery, the Porcelain Collection and the Collection of Mathematical and Physical Instruments.

The gardens are open to the public free of charge.

If you walk through the Glockenspielpavillon, you will see the Residenzschloss on the other side of the street, to the left.

Residential Palace

Dresden Castle is one of Dresden's oldest buildings. It served as a royal residence for almost 400 years and housed Saxony electors and Saxony and Polish kings. The castle features different architectural styles, such as Baroque and Neo-renaissance. The castle was originally built in the 13th century as a Romanesque keep. The keep was extended in the 15th century and again in the 16th century. A fire damaged the castle in 1701, and Augustus the Strong rebuilt the castle and added the western wing collection rooms. The castle was rebuilt in the ornate Baroque style.

The House of Wettin celebrated its 800th anniversary with further renovations and additions between 1889 and 1901. The Stall Courtyard was painted with the famous "Procession of Princes ." In 1914, additional renovations modernized the castle with heating and electric lights. World War II bombs heavily damaged Dresden Castle. Restoration work started in the 1960s and
continues today.

The castle is now home to a collection of museums that are housed in Augustus the Strong's collection rooms. The museums include the Historic Green Vault, the New Green Vault, the Numismatic Cabinet, the Collection of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs, and the Dresden Armory. Guests can also visit an art library with 260,000 titles related to art history. The Hausmann Tower offers a beautiful view of Dresden's Old Town. In addition, the English Stairway was reconstructed using the original Baroque design.

We now walk along Sporergasse in the direction of Neumarkt. On Neumarkt you will find the Transport Museum, various cafés and restaurants and above all one of Dresden's most famous landmarks: the Church of our Lady.

Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady)

The first Frauenkirche was a Catholic church built in the 11th century. During the Reformation, it became a Protestant church. The original church was demolished and replaced by the new Lutheran church.

In 1736, Gottfried Silbermann built an exceptional 43-stop organ for the church. Johann Sebastian Bach played a recital on the organ on December 1, 1736. The church's iconic dome is 96 meters (315 feet) tall. The dome is known as Stone Bell ("die Steinerne Glocke" in German). The dome is often compared to Michelangelo's St. Peter's Basilica dome. Stone Bell weighed 12,000 tons and was originally held up by eight supports. In 1945, Allied forces bombed Dresden. The church survived two days of attacks before collapsing. While most of the church was destroyed, the original altar and chancel were salvaged.

Residents salvaged and numbered stone fragments, hoping to use them in a future reconstruction. In 1994, Gunter Blobel won the Nobel Prize for medicine and donated his prize money to restore the Church of Our Lady. In addition, England's Prince Edward supported the Dresden Trust which contributed funds for the reconstruction project. Rebuilding the Church of Our Lady cost 180 million Euros. The rebuilding effort began in 1992 and was completed in 2005. The church was rebuilt using the original plans from the 1720s and salvaged materials. About 3,800 original stones were used in the reconstruction. One can see the original stones in the building as they appear darker due to age and fire damage. Rebuilding the church was a community-wide effort. Builders relied on photographs and memories to reconstruct the details. For example, old wedding albums helped builders reconstruct the church's carved oak doors. A new orb and cross were forged and placed on top of the dome. The original damaged cross stands inside by the church's altar. The original organ was replaced with a 68-stop organ.

Now we walk along Töpferstraße and reach the Procession of Princes.

Fürstenzug (The Procession of Princes)

The Procession of Princes is an impressive mural that shows Saxony's rulers. The painting was commissioned to celebrate the Wettin Dynasty's 800th anniversary in 1889. Wilhelm Walther painted the original painting. It took Walther five years to complete the painting, which was finished in 1876.

When the artwork began to fade, a preservation plan was implemented. Between 1904 and 1907, the painting was replaced by 23,000 porcelain tiles to make the artwork weatherproof. The artwork is 102 meters (335 feet) long and is the world's largest porcelain artwork. The mural shows the portraits of the House of Wettin's 35 margraves, electors, dukes, and kings from 1127 to 1904. The rulers are shown on horses with their names written underneath them. The first ruler in the procession mural is 12th-century ruler Conrad, Margrave of Meissen. The last king of Saxony, Frederick Augustus III, who ruled from 1904 to 1918, is not shown. The mural also shows 59 farmers, craftsmen, scientists, artists, and children. A girl in the children's group is the only female shown in the procession. The last person shown in the procession is the mural's original creator, Wilhelm Walther.

The Procession of Princes was designed to look like a giant tapestry. The top edge features depictions of 38 individual hanging knobs to make the mural look like a tapestry hung on a wall. The mural also features ornamental frames with plants, butterflies, and birds.

At the end of the procession of princess you will reach the palace square.

The Schloßplatz (Palace Square or Castle Square)

The palace square is a city square in the center of Dresden. It gets its name from the Dresdner Schloss, the royal residence of the Electors and Kings of Saxony, which faces the south side of the square. Dating from the 15th century, the square was destroyed in the Bombing of Dresden in World War II. In recent years the buildings surrounding the square have largely been restored so that the area again has a historic character.

From Schlossplatz, a large staircase (not easy to miss) leads up to the Brühl's Terraces.

Brühl's Terraces

Brühl's Terrace is often called "The Balcony of Europe." This high terrace overlooks the river Elbe and is a popular place to walk, admire the architecture, and enjoy an outdoor cafe. Brühl's Terrace was built on the city's fortifications that were rebuilt in 1547. The terrace is named after Count Heinrich von Brühl, who had a Dresden city palace. In 1747 the Saxon elector gave Brühl the terrace to thank him for introducing a betterment tax.

When Russian troops occupied Dresden in 1814, Prince Nikolai Grigorjevich Repnin-Wolkonski ordered the terrace to open to the public. At that time, architect Gottlob Friedrich Thormeyer built stairs at the terrace's western end to be accessible from Castle Square and Augustus Bridge. The terrace's original buildings were destroyed during World War II bombing attacks. The terrace has since been rebuilt and is one of Dresden's main attractions. The terrace features a monument for Johann Friedrich Böttger, an alchemist who invented European porcelain. Visitors can see a fingerprint near the monument in one of the garden's guard rails. This fingerprint is said to have been left by legendary Augustus the Strong.

Today's terrace buildings include Saxony's Supreme Court, the Sächsisches Ständehaus, the Academy of Fine Arts, and the Albertinum. As you stroll the terrace, you may find many artists painting and selling artworks.