Dresden, Germany

In May 2024 my son and his family took me on a road trip through 9 European countries, including Germany. One of the cities we visited was Dresden. The highlight of my time in Dresden was visiting Church of our Lady, or Frauenkirche. During World War II, Dresden was heavily bombed and most of the buildings were destroyed.

Frauenkirche, Church of Our Lady

Among the buildings destroyed during the bombings of WWII was the Church of our Lady, which had been constructed during the 18th century and is a Lutheran Church. After the bombings, the church was reconstructed between 1994 and 2005, using many of the same stones which had been preserved from the original building. You can see these blackened stones speckled throughout the exterior of the building in remembrance of the stoic history of the building.

Church of Our Lady, May 2024

Blackened stones visible throughout

Statue of Martin Luther outside the church

Automaton clock known as Mannleinlaufen

2024

Inside the Cathedral

Inside the dome of the Cathedral

President Uchtdorf from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gave a talk in general conference and spoke about the Church of Our Lady. His talk is located here:

He Will Place You On His Shoulders and Carry You Home

Official website of the Frauenkirche:

Frauenkirche Dresden

Kathedrale Sanctissimae Trinitatis, Hofkirche

Hofkirche is a Catholic Cathedral in Dresden. It was consecrated in 1751 and was also severely damaged by bombings during WWII, as you can tell from the photos.

Hofkirche

The official website for the cathedral is here:

Kathedrale Sanctissimae Trinitatis

Visiting hours to the cathedral usually begin at 10 am, with the exception of Fridays when it opens at 1 pm, and Sundays when it opens at noon. The cathedral closes at 5 pm except on Sundays, when it closes at 4 pm.

Zwinger

The Dresden Zwinger is a palatial complex with gardens that was originally built in 1709. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Dresden, along with the Church of Our Lady. The building was destroyed during WWII bombings and then reconstructed by 1963 to its pre-war state. It was under construction when we visited in May 2024, so we were only able to look around at the outside. It is now used as a museum complex.

view of the Royal Palace from the Zwinger

The official website for the Dresden Zwinger is here:

Zwinger

Dresden Castle, Royal Palace, Residenzschloss, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen

Right next to the Zwinger is the Dresden Castle, or Royal Palace or Dresden, which also goes by the names of Residenzschloss and Staatliche Kunstsammlungen. It is open Wednesday through Monday from ten a.m. to five p.m. It costs 16 euro to visit. The official website is here:

Dresden Castle

Semperoper Opera House

The Semperoper is the opera house, concert house, and house of ballet for Dresden. It was built in 1841 and suffered a major fire in 1869, but was repaired by 1878. Tickets to performances can be purchased at its official website:

Semperoper

Furstenzug, Procession of the Princes

Another must-see in Dresden is the Procession of the Princes, which is a large mural of the rulers of Saxony, which was originally painted in the late 1800's. In the early 1900's the painting was replaced with approximately 23,000 porcelain tiles and is now the largest porcelain artwork in the world.

These are manequins that were for some reason set up on the sidewalk under the Procession of Princes

Places to Eat in Dresden

My grandsons live in Belgium, and yet their very favorite place to eat anywhere in Europe is McDonald's. The McDonald's in Dresden is quite different than any of the McDonald's in the United States.

Toilets can be used for free as long as you purchased food from McDonald's

Beautiful, Historic Dresden

Walking through Dresden it is hard not to imagine the vast history that has passed through this German city. Buildings blackened from WWII bombings are visible throughout, bringing history to life, mixed with modern additions.