Museums

Dresden State Art Collections

The Dresden State Art Collections are among the most magnificent and oldest museum institutions in the world. The history of the various collections in the heart of the state capital dates back to the 16th century. Today, the Dresden State Art Collections unite a total of 14 museums in Saxony.

The Royal Castle

The Royal Castle, in the heart of the Old Town, is the place of origin and centre of Dresden’s art collections. Despite reconstruction and modernisation in the 20th century, it has retained the character of the High Renaissance, which can be experienced again in its original rooms as a late Baroque work of art, just as August the Strong had it built in the 18th century. The “Residence of Art and Science″ houses various art collections of the Dresden State Art Collections and thus ties in with its rich cultural past. The museums include the famous Historical and New Green Vault, the Kupferstich-Kabinett, the Münzkabinett, the Turkish Chamber, the Fürstengalerie and the Rüstkammer.

Dresden Zwinger

The world-famous Zwinger is one of the most magnificent Baroque buildings in Germany. With its pavilions and galleries, the ″Crown Gate″, the ″Nymphs’ Bath″ and, not least, the garden in the Zwinger courtyard, it is an oasis for every visitor to Dresden. Today the Zwinger is home to the Porzellansammlung and the Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon. The Semper Building, designed by Gottfried Semper, houses the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister.

Albertinum

The Albertinum, located on what is known today as the Brühl Terrace, presents art from the Romantic period up to the present day. The new exhibition halls are shared by the Galerie Neue Meister and the Skulpturensammlung. The holdings of both museums, with paintings from Caspar David Friedrich to Gerhard Richter and sculptures from Rodin into the 21st century, are internationally renowned.

Landmarks and Attractions

Dresden Frauenkirche

The Church of Our Lady is located in the heart of Dresden’s historic city centre close to the Semper Opera House and Royal Palace. Acting as a symbol of peace well beyond German borders, the Dresden Church of Our Lady is one of the most famous churches in the world.
A unique feat of civic engagement enabled the building to be rebuilt after the peaceful revolution in 1989. Since its consecration in October 2005, more than two million visitors a year have found their way to the Frauenkirche for prayer and church services, for the Open Church, and for lectures and readings, as well as numerous concerts. Contact: Stiftung Frauenkirche Dresden | Georg-Treu-Platz 3 | 01067 Dresden | T +49 351 656 06 100

Blue Wonder – Loschwitz Bridge

The bridge connects the city districts of Blasewitz and Loschwitz, two affluent residential areas, which around 1900 were amongst the most expensive in Europe. Construction took two years and was completed in 1893 at a cost of 2.25 million Goldmarks, and the bridge was named König-Albert-Brücke in honour of King Albert of Saxony. In the 19th century, a bridge of this length without supporting river piers was considered a technological masterpiece. Today, the technology is less miraculous, but the bridge is a much-loved symbol of the city.

Golden Rider

This is the name given to an equestrian statue of the Saxon Elector and Polish king Augustus the Strong, which stands in Neustädter Markt in Dresden between Augustusbrücke and Hauptstraße. It is considered the most famous monument in Dresden and is one of the most important sculptures of the Dresden Baroque. The statue shows Augustus as a Roman Caesar in armour, riding in a north-easterly direction towards the Polish kingdom on a levading Lipizzaner stallion.

Do you have any questions about Dresden museums? Our concierge will be happy to advise you and assist you in planning your museum tour in Dresden or in booking your tickets.