VIII. Gay Games Cologne 2010

Dresden – A metropolis?

In the 1700s the baroque period bloomed in Europe influencing its architecture and urban development. The absolutist rulers of this époque wanted to show their power through brilliant representative buildings and tried to out-do each other in the process. At this time in Rome, Paris, Vienna, and also in Dresden, gigantic buildings sprouted up that changed the whole cityscape. In Saxony, Elector August the Strong was the ruling power and he lived up to his name. He aspired to turn the charming capital city of Dresden on the Elbe River into a cultural centre with international recognition. After a devastating fire in 1685 which destroyed the whole city, August the Strong and his successor had grand buildings constructed. These included the Dresdener Zwinger Museum, the Residenz Palace, the Semper Opera House and the famous Church of Our Lady. Dresden suffered very badly in the Second World War bombings which flattened the inner city. For decades afterwards, arduous and loving detailed work was used to rebuild Dresden. The city today is again full of pride and is rightly known as “Florence on the Elbe”. Dresden is around 500 km east of Cologne, just over 6 hours travel time by the ICE train.

http://www.dresden.de/dtg/index.php?shortcut=Tourismus