36 Hours in Dresden, Germany DRESDEN, the German city whose name evokes a history of destruction, is looking more and more like its pre-World War II self. Roughly midway between Berlin and Prague, the capital of Saxony has largely restored the major architectural treasures damaged by Allied bombing raids: the Zwinger Palace, the Frauenkirche and the Semperoper. But while the Old Town, or Altstadt, was busy turning the clock back, the Neustadt across the Elbe River was looking forward. The Äussere Neustadt (Outer New Town) quarter is now filled with new bars and shops catering to a younger generation that doesn't remember the days under Communism, much less the war. In the heart of this artsy district, you'll find such delights as the Kunsthofpassage complex, home to an ingenious turquoise building that has rigged its drains, which are shaped like instruments, to play "water music" after it rains. Old and new come together in the Military History Museum reconceived by Daniel Libeskind in 2011, which, with its focus on the causes and corollaries of war and violence, represents a stark, contemporary rethinking of the past. Although much of Dresden has been modernized, the striking panorama of Baroque buildings along the Elbe provide evidence of why the prewar city was once called the "Florence of the North." The best views can be found on the Brühlsche Terrasse, an elevated riverside promenade on the northern edge of the Altstadt. After a stroll, head behind the esplanade to the Albertinum (Georg-Treu-Platz 2; 49-351-4914-2000; skd.museum; 8 euros, or $10 at $1.26 to the euro), a 125-year-old modern art museum that reopened in 2010 after a 51-million-euro renovation. The portrait collection begins with Germany's foremost Romantic painter, Caspar David Friedrich, and ends with its most famous living artist, Gerhard Richter, both of whom spent formative years in Dresden. Return to a time when ladies wore fur and feathered hats at the grand Semperoper (Theaterplatz 2; 49-351-4911-705; semperoper.de), where Richard Strauss premiered many of his works, as did Richard Wagner. The revered opera, ballet and concert house has a dramatic back story: Inaugurated in 1841, it was destroyed by fire in 1869, bombed in 1945, triumphantly reopened by the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) in 1985, and then painstakingly restored after a flood in 2002. It has superb sound, red velvet seats, elaborate friezes and a crowd that dresses to the nines for traditional yet brilliant stagings of operas like "La Bohème" and Dvorak's "Rusalka." 9:30 p.m. A modern fish restaurant inside a rebuilt Rococo palace, Kastenmeiers im Kurländer Palais (Tzschirnerplatz 3-5; 49-351-4848-4801; kastenmeiers.de) is by far the most elegant dining option in the city center. The first thing you see upon entering the restaurant, which opened in 2010, is an open kitchen beneath a long aquarium filled with sharks, fish and lobsters. These creatures later show up in the exposed brick dining room, as dishes like sturgeon with salmon caviar sauce (25 euros) and lobster risotto (28 euros). After grabbing coffee and a muffin at the stylish hangout Café Combo (Louisenstrasse 66), you can marvel at Daniel Libeskind's transformation of the Military History Museum (Olbrichtplatz 2; 49-351-823-2803; mhmbw.de, 5 euros), which opened in October. This is one of Germany's largest, and also one of its boldest, museums. The exhibition space offers two experiences: One is a chronological history of German war, with an emphasis on the 20th century, while the other - housed in the five-story steel-and-glass wedge that Mr. Libeskind inserted into the 1870s building - addresses the social effects of war with exhibitions like "War and Memory" and displays on the evolution of prostheses and how animals were exploited during battle. 1 p.m. Have a hearty Saxon lunch at Watkze Ball & Brauhaus (Kötzschenbroder Strasse 1; 49-351-852-920; watzke.de), a 114-year-old restaurant, ballroom and brewery on the waterfront. Regional specialties include pork neck in beer sauce with mushroom goulash (7.90 euros) and excellent house brews (from 2 euros) alongside a very local crowd. The walls are decorated with old photographs of Dresden, and the green leather booths are filled with laughter. In summer, Watzke has a lively beer garden on the banks of the Elbe. Starting in the 17th century, the rulers of Saxony began collecting European art in earnest. It was a propitious time to do so, and most of the major works housed in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Theaterplatz 1; 49-351- 4914-6679; skd.museum; 10 euros) were assembled within a 50-year period. Inside this splendid museum, the most famous piece is Raphael's "Sistine Madonna," with its iconic pair of cherubs, but equally impressive is Albrecht Dürer's melancholic "Dresden Altar" and the world's largest collection of paintings by the two Lucas Cranachs, Older and Younger. 4:45 p.m. Dresden's countercultural hub, Äussere Neustadt, largely spared by bombing, is a trove of 19th-century patrician houses and many trendy bars, cafes and shops. Duck into the unisex boutique The Spot (Alaunstrasse 29; 49-351-312-6591; wearethespot.com), where you'll find clothing and accessories by young German and European designers like Patrick Mohr and Bibi Chemnitz. Then stop by the 132-year-old Pfunds Molkerei (Bautzner Strasse 79; 49-351-808-080; pfunds.de), a dairy shop covered floor to ceiling with hand-painted tiles of cows and angels ferrying milking tools. Fresh buttermilk and cheese are sold here, as well as odder items like milk jam and milk grappa. German tapas are served in glass preserves jars at Lila Sosse (Alaunstrasse 70; 49-351-803-6723; lilasosse.de), a stylishly dim, dark wood restaurant that opened in 2010 in an artist-decorated courtyard complex called the Kunsthofpassage (kunsthof-dresden.de). The tapas are elevated versions of traditional fare like cheese spaetzle with fried onions (6.90 euros) and herring tartar with beet root (4.50 euros); a Russian chocolate cheesecake with pears (4.50 euros) is baked in its jar. Every half-hour, the turquoise building in the complex plays "water music" through its drains. For drinks and music in an uncanny atmosphere of the German Democratic Republic, head to Ost-pol (Königsbrücker Strasse 47; ost-pol.de), where the year is 1968, the color scheme is yellow and orange, and the beers listed above an ancient Robotron computer all come from former Communist bloc countries. The club often hosts intimate rock performances (free to 8 euros), in a room next to retro arcade games and a green coal oven. Continue on to nearby Altes Wettbüro (Antonstrasse 8; 49-351-658-8983; altes-wettbuero.de), a onetime betting parlor, with dancing to the soul or electro records of D.J."s. 11 a.m. Have brunch in a car factory at Lesage (Lennéstrasse 1; 49-351-420-4250; lesage.de; reservations recommended), a fine restaurant housed in Volkswagen's eco-friendly Transparent Factory. The Sunday brunch (33 euros) consists of a hot and cold buffet, live piano music and a tour through the soaring glass factory (49-18-0589-6268; glaesernemanufaktur.de) where Phaeton sedans are assembled by hand. Then stroll around the pond and fountains of the Grosser Garten, just outside. 2 p.m. In Communist times, citizens could trade a bottle of Schloss Wackerbarth sparkling wine, or sekt, for car parts and kitchen appliances. Now every Sunday, the historic vineyard (Wackerbarthstrasse 1, Radebeul; 49-351-89550; schloss-wackerbarth.de), first established in 1727 as a getaway for the court of Augustus the Strong, opens its Baroque castle and gardens to the public. Tours with tastings are given hourly from noon to 5 p.m. 11 to 26 euros. Later, settle in for a meal of swordfish and asparagus lasagna (17 euros), paired with a glass of the house riesling, at the vineyard's terrific Saxon-Mediterranean restaurant. Innside by Meliá Dresden (Salzgasse 4; 49-351-795-150; innside.com; from 87 euros, about $108) offers 180 well-designed rooms and suites in the center of the Altstadt, a stylish wellness center, and VEN, one of Dresden's top restaurants. The waterfront Maritim Hotel Dresden (Devrientstrasse 10-12; 49-351-2160; maritim.com; from 95 euros) is a classic hotel in a protected architectural monument, with 328 rooms and suites, a large wellness area and a piano bar. Rothenburger Hof (Rothenburger Strasse 15- 17; 49-351-81260; dresden-hotel.de; from 75 euros, with breakfast) is a comfortable, family-run hotel in the happening Äussere Neustadt, with 26 doubles and 13 apartments. The hotel has a sauna, a tiled steam room and a small pool.