Dresden

Dresden makes a play for more visitors

Dresden, once known as the “Florence on the Elbe,” was celebrated throughout Europe for its impressive baroque architecture and stunning art treasures. Then came the night of February 13, 1945, when Allied bombers rained down phosphorus and high-explosive bombs on the city. By morning, the Dresden of legend was only a memory, and more than 50,000 people had lost their lives. After the war, when Germany was divided by the victors, Dresden landed in the Soviet sector and languished under Communist rule.

Today, the capital of Saxony is experiencing a renaissance, after a painstaking reconstruction of its beautiful historic core just in time for the city’s 800th birthday bash in 2006. While Dresden is hardly undiscovered, especially among Germans, it lies off the beaten path of most traveling North Americans, despite its convenient location approximately halfway between Prague and Berlin.

© 2009, Wiley Publishing, Inc.