Page 120 - (DK Eyewitness) Back Roads Travel Guide - Germany

118 BACK ROADS GERMANY

Right Aerial view of the charming town of
Meissen Below Frauenkirche’s ornate
cupola, Dresden
VISITING DRESDEN
Parking
Ample parking is available on
Schiessgasse and in Neumarkt.
Tourist Information
Schlossstrasse 23, 01067;
0351 50 16 01 60; www.dresden.de

WHERE TO STAY
MEISSEN
Fuchshöhl inexpensive 3 Meissen 4 Schloss Moritzburg
Personality abounds in this homely Saxony; 01662 Saxony; 01468
pension in a half-timbered house, Although famous for porcelain, Unimpressed by a small hunting lodge
whose artist owner cherishes a relaxed Meissen is also worth visiting for its he had inherited, Augustus the Strong
atmosphere and charmingly cobbled lanes. In the town’s Dom platz, ordered his court architect Matthäus
mismatched furnishings.
Hohlweg 7 (top of Burgstrasse), 01662; a High Gothic cathedral with a ducal Daniel Pöppelmann to build him a
0351 888 85 34; www.fuchshoehl.de chapel and an altarpiece by Lucas Baroque pleasure palace. The finest
Cranach the Elder adjoins the 16th- craftsmen in Saxony were hired to
Goldener Löwe moderate
The decor in this small, pleasant hotel cen tury Albrechtsburg (open daily). In create the decadent interiors (Apr–
just off the Markt is reminiscent of 1710, Augustus the Strong converted Oct: tours daily; Nov–mid-Jan, Feb & Mar:
Baroque grandeur. the palace into the first por celain fac- tours Tue–Sun). Highlights include a
Heinrichsplatz 6, 01662; 03521 411 10; tory outside East Asia. Meissen china banqueting hall with hunting trophies
www.welcome-hotels.com
is now manufactured at a fac tory and the royal four-poster bed with
DRESDEN (tours daily) 1.5 km (1 mile) south of iridescent feather tapes tries.
Bülow Palais and Residenz moderate the centre, where there is an exhi- ª Follow signs to Dresden and to
Formerly the Baroque palace of bition centre and a shop (open daily). Innere Altstadt, crossing the Elbe on
Augustus the Strong’s master-architect, ª Turn right beneath Albrechtsburg Carolabrücke. Go over Rathenauplatz
this Relais & Chateaux hotel is all old- to cross the river on the B101. Follow on to St Petersburger Strasse and turn
world opulence and faultless service.
Königstrasse 14, 01097; 0351 800 30; signs to Moritzburg; park at the palace. right for the car park.
www.buelow-residenz.de
Taschenbergpalais Kempinski 5 Dresden
expensive
Housed in the palace where Augustus Saxony; 01067
the Strong installed his mistress, this So devastating was an Allied air raid in February 1945 that, for most,
hotel affords five-star luxury. “Kurfürsten”
deluxe rooms offer the best views of the name of Saxony’s capital is synonymous with destruction. In fact,
the Residenzschloss or Zwinger. Dresden is better understood in terms of its resurrection. After dec-
Taschenberg 3, 01067; 0351 491 20; ades of Communist neglect, the old town’s Baroque monuments are
www.kempinski-dresden.de
being rebuilt and the “Florence of the Elbe” is regaining its former glory.
A one-hour walking tour entrance provides access up the
From the car park on Schiessgasse, bell-like cupola (open daily) for views
walk up Landhausstrasse to reach the over the cafés of the Neumarkt. Turn
epicentre of Dresden’s rejuve nation, right on to Salzgasse and visit the
the Neumarkt, and the symbol of its Museum Festung Dresden (open daily)
revival, the Frauenkirche 1. After it to explore case ments and cannon
was rebuilt, thousands gath ered to rooms. Visitors can admire sculpture
celebrate the reconsecration of this and art from the 19th cen tury in the
Baroque church in October 2005. Albertinum (closed Mon), reopened
Original fire-blackened blocks stand in 2010, or art exhibitions in the
out in its new sandstone. The crucifix Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, its
in its interior was forged by a interior still raw from bomb damage,
Coventry silversmith whose father or simply stroll on the Brühlscher
flew in the Allied raid – a poignant Terrasse 2, the handsome riverfront
symbol of reconciliation. A rear belve dere that was revered as the
Where to Stay: inexpensive, under €70; moderate, €70–€150; expensive, over €150

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