

| Flights to Dresden | |
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Dresden is the capital of the state of Saxony in eastern Germany. Once known as the Jewel Box for all its ornate architecture, Dresden was essentially destroyed during the WW2. Today the city has been rebuilt and is once again an important cultural city, with some reconstructed historical architecture.
Dresden Airport (airport code: DRS) is connected to the city by both public bus as well as metro rail, and it is only 9 kilometres away. You can get a 1-stop flight to Dresden from South Africa with either South African Airways or Lufthansa for a route that goes via Munich. Virgin Atlantic and British Airways both offer a 2-stop option, with connections in London and Frankfurt. Most flights to Dresden are between 12 and 17 hours long. |
| Dresden once had a multitude of fine architecture that was both Rococo and baroque in style, giving the city the nickname, the Jewel Box. Though the city was completely destroyed towards the end of World War 2 some of the grand historic buildings have been reconstructed, taking Dresden back to some of its former glory.
Dresden Frauenkirche The most famous landmark of Dresden is one that has been reconstructed. The Frauenkirche (or Church of Our Lady) was originally built in the 18th century, and took thirteen years to re-build, completing in 2004 for the exterior and 2005 for the interior. What little remained of the original was actually incorporated into the new building. The Frauenkirche is a beautiful building, both inside and out, and it was decided to rebuild this landmark as a sign of reconciliation between former enemies. It’s one of the top tourist attractions in Dresden today. Katholische Hofkirche Another major landmark is the Katholische Hofkirche, or the Catholic Church of the Royal Court of Saxony. This church did withstand the bombing of Dresden though it was still badly damaged and was restored during the 1980’s. The Catholic Church is in the old town (Aldstadt) of Dresden, next to another major landmark, the Semperoper. Semperoper Semperoper is the opera house for Dresden and is another beautiful building. This one was originally built in 1841 in the Dresden Baroque style of architecture, but a fire destroyed it in 1869. The opera house was rebuilt only to be destroyed again during the war. Rebuilding took place and it was opened again in 1985, exactly 40 years after having been destroyed. Zwinger Palace Dresden’s Zwinger Palace is a fine example of German baroque architecture. Only a few walls remained of the palace when it was bombed and the palace was once part of the larger Dresden fortress that protected the city hundreds of years ago. The people of Dresden voted to have the palace, and numerous other monuments rebuilt after the war, rather than have modern, and probably ugly buildings take their places! |