 by the new
The Royal castle [left, no. 792: bottom left picture] was first mentioned in 1237. The tower, Hausmannsturm, in the northwestern corner was added around 1400. Further parts of the castle were added in 14681480, 15481556, 15861591 and 15891594. Parts of the castle which were destroyed by a fire in 1701 were rebuilt between 1717 and 1719. The Lutheran court chapel was dissolved in 1737 when Friedrich August I ('the Strong') wanted to be elected King of Poland and because of that converted to the Catholic faith. In 18891901 the castle was remodeled in Renaissance revival style on the occasion of the celebrations of the 800th anniversary of the Wettin dynasty. On 13 February 1945 the castle was completely destroyed by fire. Works to rebuild the castle began in 1985 and are completed in 2006.
The bottom right picture on glass no. 792 [left] shows the
The Zwinger [left, no. 1238, and right, no. 1271] is probably Dresden's mot famous historic building. It was designed by the architects Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann and Balthasar Permoser, and was built between 1711 and 1728 on the site of a part of the old fortifications. The Zwinger remained unfinished at first. The wing facing the Elbe river was added only in 18471854. On 13 February 1945 the Zwinger was severely hit by bombs. Original plans called for a removal of the historic structure, but the population of Dresden wanted to keep it. The restoration began already in 1945/1946. Between 1951 and 1954 the Kronentor (Crown Gate), the Glockenspielpavillon and the Mathematical-Physical Salon were reconstructed, the restoration was factually completed in 1963.
The three building depicted in the background of the picture on glass no. 1271 [right] are labeled, from left to right, 'Fernheizwerk' (district heating plant), 'Kgl. Hofoper' (royal opera house), and 'Kgl. Gemäldegalerie' (royal art academy).
The Fernheizwerk was built in 1900/1901 and was the first of its kind in Europe.
The Royal Art Academy (Königliche Kunstakademie) [left, no. 1575: top picture] was built in 18871894 by Constantin Lipsius at the Brühlsche Terrasse. The academy was founded in 1764 and is one of the oldest institutions of its kind in Europe. Today, the building belongs to the university of fine arts of Dresden.
The Kreuzkirche (Church of the Holy Cross) [left, no. 1575: bottom left picture] is the second-oldest church of Dresden. The earliest chapel at this place may have existed already prior to 1206. A Romanesque church dedicated to St. Michael was built in 1215. After 1388 the original name 'Nikolaikirche' was slowly replaced by its new name, 'Kreuzkirche'. In 1539 the church became Protestant. The church burnt out five times during its history. In 1491 and 1669 the cause of the fire remained unknown, the third fire in 1760 was caused by a Prussian cannonball. After that it was rebuilt in 1764 in Baroque style. After another fire in 1897 it was restored and Art Nouveau elements were added. After the bomb raid on 13 February 1945 the church burnt out again, only the walls remained standing. The reconstruction was completed 10 years later. The church today is the seat of the Protestant bishop of Saxony. The church also is home of the world-famous Kreuzchor, one of the oldest boys choirs of Germany, founded in the 13th century.
The bottom right picture on glass no. 1575 shows the Catholic Hofkirche (see above).
The top picture on glass no. 2463 [left] shows a view of
The Sophienkirche (church of St. Sophia), the only Gothic church of Dresden, stood in the northeast corner of Postplatz. In 1250 the The Order of Friars Minor, Franciscans, built a monastery and a small church at this location. In 1331 the church was enlarged and then had two naves and two identical apses. In its southeast corner, the private Busmann chapel was added around 1400. After the Reformation the church stood empty for several decades until it was reopened as a Lutheran church in 1610 upon an initiative by Sophie of Brandenburg, wife of Elector Christian I of Saxony. From 1737 onward, the church served as the Lutheran court