Dresden Map Tourist Attractions
SEMPER-OPER. Dresden’s famed opera house luxuriates in the same style as the northern wing of the Zwinger palace. Painstaking restoration has returned the building to its original state, making it one of Dresden’s major attractions. Tour the interior any day or just go to an opera. (Theaterpl. 2. Check the main entrance for tour times, usually M-F every 30min. llam-3pm. ‚5, students ‚3.)
DRESDENER SCHLOfi. Once the proud home of August the Strong, this palace will regain the lion’s share of its notoriety in 2004, when the BGriines Gewolbe (Green Vault) returns. From a collection of rare medieval chalices to the most lavish Baroque jewels, the vault dazzles the eyes with some of the finest metal and gem work in Europe. The 100m tall HHausmannsturm hosts a collection of sobering photographs of the city after the bombings that, combined with the 360° view from the tower, convey the enormity of the reconstruction project. (Open Su and Tu-Sa 10am-6pm. ‚3.50, students and seniors ‚2.) To meet the rulers of Saxony from 1123 to 1904, stop by the Fiirstenzug (Procession of Electors) along Augustsstr. a 102m mural made of 24,000 tiles of Meifien china.
KREUZKIRCHE. After being leveled three times by fire in 1669; in 1760 by the Thirty Years War; and again in 1897 by fire the Kreuzkirche survived WWII despite the flames that ruined its interior. The tower offers a bird’s-eye view of downtown. (An der Kreuzkirche 6. Open in summer M-Tu and Th-F 10am-5:30pm, VJ and Sa 10am4:30pm, Su noon-5:30pm; in winter M-Sa 10am-3:30pm, Su noon-4:30pm. Free. Tower ‚1.) The world-class Kreuzchor boys’ choir is still singing after all these years. (Concerts Sa 6pm. ‚4-31, students ‚3-23.)
GOLDENER REITER. A gold-plated statue of August the Strong stands just across the Augustusbrucke on Haupstr. August’s nickname has two sources: His physical strength, to which a thumbprint on the Briihlische Terasse supposedly attests, and his remarkable virility legend has it he fathered 365 children, though the official tally is 15. Newly refurbished, August shines with all his former cocky gallantry.
DIE GLASERNE MANUFAKTUR. This transparent Volkswagen factory is a bold piece of architecture; Phaetons in various stages of construction are stacked in plain view. Call ahead for a tour that includes an amazingly realistic virtual test drive. (Lennestr. I.n89 62 68. Tours M-F8am-8pm every 2 hr. by appointment.)
