Dresden - one of the most famous tourist cities in Germany. Taking into account it's beauty and number of attractions perhaps the best.
Dresden is quite significant city in european history. During the last 5 centuries it has been the capital of Saxony, which claimed a leading role among the German principalities in the XVIII century and owned the Poland.
After the Napoleonic Wars Dresden lost territories and political influence in Europe, but remained an important cultural center.
Dresden has standard transport system for Germany: city train, trams and buses, all renovated in recent years. Tickets are purchased from vending machines, a day ticket costs 6 euros (2015). Screens in the transport show options for the changes on the next stop.
We slept in an inexpensive ibis budget Dresden City (booking.com), which is located in the center.
Old Town was completely destroyed during the war. The bombing of Dresden in 1945 was one of the most destructive, as the city had no air defense systems. According to official data about 25 thousand people died. Remains of the attractions were taken outside the city, where remained for decades.
If only Dresden was in western Germany, I am sure that the old city would be restored completely. But in the days of DDR were restored only the main sights, for example Zwinger (1964) and the Opera (1985).
This is almost the entire old town. But do not worry, Dresden will not disappoint art lovers or lovers of outdoor activities. There is a huge number of good museums, led by the Old Masters Picture Gallery, which keeps 750 paintings of world significance, including the Sistine Madonna by Raphael.
And, of course, the main attraction of Dresden, it's skyline, a general view of the central part of the city from the other side of the river. It is especially beautiful in the evening, night photos of Dresden have already become classics.
As you can see, on the other side of the river is a huge empty space without any buildings. The reason is simple - frequent floods, the last was in 2013. And in 2002 the water rose to 9.4 meters!
On weekends citizens rest in the park on the right bank of the river. Here is the cycle path Elbeweg, which stretches along the Elbe River to the north and south.
Just rent a bike, for example here http://www.mietstation-dresden.de/, and drive along the left bank of the Elbe (the one where is the old town) to Pillnitz Palace (12 km one way), the road is very beautiful.
Apart from the Elbe River park, there is one more huge park Grosser Garten, laid in 1676, a favorite place for skateboarders and rollerbladers. In the middle of the park stands the palace in Baroque style built in 1683. There is also a zoo and a children's railway (Dresdner Parkeisenbahn), opened in 1950.
Getting there: Dresden has its own airport Dresden-Klotzsche Airport. Use commuter train S2 or buses 77 and 97 to get to the city center. There is also a big railway station.
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