Dresden and more of Saxony

Hi,

I would assume you would have picked Dresden and Saxony to visit regardless of it being included in a RS book. Good to see that you're there. A few points here I'll comment on before I lapse into rambling, a la "rambling on" as the song says.

Yes, there is absolutely a different distinct "feel" to visiting cities/towns in the former DDR, even after 20 plus years of reunification and the refurblishing, remodeling, construction, etc. which you don't sense in the old western part. I had the same sense of "feeling" when visiting Weimar, Magdeburg, Dresden, Meissen, Frankfurt an der Oder, even Potsdam when you get out of the tourist areas. Once you see those hideous examples of those block buildings, those "Soviet and soul crushing" Mietskasernen, you know you're in the former east. (Some of those apt blocks you can see here in San Francisco too)

Where all the famous sights are, ie, walking from from Dresden Hbf to the Elbe, has undergone a tremendous change. I first got to Dresden in 1992 on a bus tour from Berlin, the Frauenkirche area was still in rubble, certain buildings in the Altstadt with all their figurines were still in black, still a lot of black had to be removed....no longer now when I saw it last in 2010.

The language....well, you'll most likely hear that Sachsen dialect, distinct in the language, aside from their being more formal. That may be or I just missed it. True, even with their Saxon accent the high German spoken by them is easier to understand. The other difference which you may encounter is that in the east the locals (seeing you as a tourist) will still address you first in German, just as they did in the west 30-40 years ago and give you a German language menu first w/o asking. Knowing the language esp reading it (the graffitti, posters, plaques, advertisment, "billboards", etc) is absolutely essential to getting a real feel and understanding of the society. This applies more so in the east.

On the "crush of people:"...true, in Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Frankfurt, and Munich you certainly get the "crush" feeling, don't of Mannheim, Köln was so far back i don't recall anymore. Of course, one can look up what the Bevölkerungsdichte (pop density) for these cities to compare and contrast.

Einfach gesagt, no, it's not just you. The distinct difference in vibes and feeling is there. Go to across the river to Dresden-Neustadt too.

Thanks, Fred.
"I would assume you would have picked Dresden and Saxony to visit regardless of it being included in a RS book." True, that has nothing to do with where I go and don't go. But I tend not to bother writing trip reports on places in the Blue Book, simply because there's not much I can add to what the Man has already said, and to what plenty of other people have already reported. Dresden doesn't get nearly as much mention as Munich or Berlin, so that leaves an opening.

OK, now onto the restored Altstadt. Looking at the pre-war and post-war photographs, what they have rebuilt is nothing short of miraculous. The rebuilt Frauenkirche struck me as particularly amazing. At least the external structure of the Residenw Schloß remained intact, almost nothing remained of the Frauenkirche, and now, it rises again above the Alstadt as if WWII never occurred. It looks like this is a multi-decade project to restore the area around the Neumarkt one block at a time. It's about 80% finished, but there's still several large holes in the ground to go. And that horrible Soviet-influenced Palace of the People-like structure looks like it's about to either receive a complete make-over or fall under the wrecking ball. But as meticulous as the reconstruction is, there's one major detail missing. Mainly, the Altstadt feels completely isolated from the rest of the city. It doesn't look like anyone lives here. Even Rothenburg and the inner city of Brugge still have plenty of residents, but this area looks like it exists soley for tourists. Walking around the Neumarkt, you see no grocery stores, no Apotekes, no bakeries (in Germany?!). Only restaurants and bling boutiques. At least the density of trinket shops is fairly low. Overall, it's just a weird feel. You walk one street outside the Altstadt, and you go from fin de siècle grandeur to Stalinism.

After visiting the Zwinger and the Residenz Schloß, I got the distinct impression that Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony, was the greatest pack rat of the Baroque era, since nearly everything from these collections seems to originate from his era. Judging by the amoung of people who were here in February, not exactly tourist high season, I can imagine how crowded it must be in the summer. Since entry to the famous Grönes Gewölbe is timed and limited, I can imagine reservations would be handy in the summer. The entrance to the porcelain and scientific collections at the Zwinger were easy to find, but because of restoration work; the entrance to the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister was rather difficult to locate. Although the armour and weapons collection in the Residenz Schloß is far from the largest of it's kind that I've seen, I haven't yet seen another display so elaborate. It might be a cliché, but some of those suits of armour are true works of art. (cont.)

(cont.) I have this thing about zoos. I'm not by nature a city person, so I find them a quiet, green oasis, and a great place for a stroll while gazing at the animals. And, every one of the German regional public broadcasters has a "zoo reality show", usually titled something like Panda, Gorilla & Co. that my wife and I love to watch, so I have an added enticement always to visit the local zoo when I'm in a new city. Dresden's zoo is maybe a touch nicer than some of the others regularly featured on Germany TV. There's several noticable absences. No tigers, wolves, bears, gorillas or seals, but if you're an animal-lover, there's one major reason to pay a visit. This is one of only a few zoos in Europe that houses koalas. I read on the placard that they usually sleep 16-20 hours a day, so I was lucky to see the little guys awake and moving around. If I ever return to Dresden, I would like to explore the adjacent Großer Garten. Looks like it would be a great place to relax and cool off in the summer.

I also took a walking tour through the main shopping strip (extends north from the Hauptbahnhof to the Stalinist Altmarkt). As noted previously, every city in Germany has one of these. Dresden's has most of the same stores, but it just...feels...different. Maybe it's the Socialist Realism architecture side by side with the more modern stone and glass buildings. I don't know. The language was German, the stores were German, they were selling the same stuff that you find elsewhere in Germany, but it just seemed very different from the Germany I know. I took a long way back to my hotel on the Neumarkt and walked through some the residential estates. I couldn't help notice how similar it looked to the now vacant Patrick Henry Village, which was one of the housing areas for US soldiers stationed in Heidelberg.

(Cont.)

Now onto food. I had hoped to sample some dishes unique to Saxony, but the food has mostly been standard German. What was advertised as Sächsiche Sauerbraten tasted exactly like the Rhineland version to me. I had a below average meal at a Beerhall-style restaurant on the Neumarkt, and an above average meal at a place called Sächsisch-Böhmisches Bierhaus on the Altmarkt. But for the best meal, I decided to try the rarest, most exotic restaurant in the Altstadt. From that mysterious country known as Canada, we have in Dresden a dining establishment known as Ontario. I thought, this will either be so bad its good, or just plain good. It was the latter. I was almost disappointed that the waiters weren't dressed as mounties, but they seemed to share the same wardrobe as the Canadian pavillion in EPCOT. The decor was actually abstract and tasteful, rather than cheesy Canadian brick-a-brack. The food was excellent. I had Elk Bourguinon and I wanted more...if my stomach was bottomless, I would have also ordered the caribou and moose on the menu (I'm assuming these are everyday staples for our Canadian Helpline friends). Alas, no Eskimo Ice Cream for desert. But a memorable meal, none-the-less. It appears Dresden has forgiven the British Empire and all of its dominions, because just down the street from Ontario, you can dine at a restaurant named Ayer's Rock. I don't know if kangaroo or wallaby feature on the menu here...

Although I've had it before, I'm reminded that one of Germany's best mass-produced lager beers comes from Saxony- Radeberger. The Commies may left their ugly mark on parts of Germany, but at least the beer still shines through. (cont)

Comment on the food....the price of a Wurst at an Imbiss is cheaper at Dresden Hbf compared to Berlin HBf or Saarbrücken Hbf, refreshingly cheaper. Yes, Radelberger was viewed in commie times as the best the DDR had to offer. It's available in San Francisco too. The town itself is only a short distance from Dresden.

Great report I am reading here, aktuell, focused, balanced.

Fred, I had two encounters with the Neustadt. I crossed the bridge one night to get a pictures of the Altstadt and the golden horseman statue of August the Strong. In about 15 minutes, I think I saw 3 human beings on the street. Even with all the restaurants, it looked deserted. On the way out of town, I drove through the Neustadt. Looks a little more like a place where actual human beings might prefer to live (as opposed to Stalin-land on the south side of the river), because there were actually some houses and grocery stores. But still, not particularly inviting for Germany.

Next, I went to Moritzburg to visit it's stunning Jagdschloss. I read that it features a large collection of hunting trophies and other hunting paraphanalia. This sounded great! I arrived by mid-morning and the closest parking lot was almost completely full, and already, there was a queue to enter the Schloss. Wow, so many people visiting on a winter day (even though temperatures have been very mild), this place must be something special. As I waited in line, I noticed that it was mostly families, and many of the young girls were wearing princess outfits. Uh oh, that's not a good sign. Well, now I know exactly why so many people were visiting Schloss Moritzburg. Apparently, parts of a very popular German-Czech version of Cinderalla (Drei Hasselnüsse für Aschenbrödel) was partially filmed here in the 70s. And the majority of the Schloss hosts an exhibition on the film during the winter, featuring various outfits and props from the movie. Judging from the crowd, this movie must hold a similar status for Germans and Czechs like the Sissi films for the rest of Europe, or the Sound of Music and Wizard of Oz for the US. But for someone like me, who couldn't care less about seeing old movie props and never knew of this film's existence until I visited the Schloss, it made the trip to Moritzburg mostly a waste... almost, because the Schloss and the surroundings really are stunning on the exterior. But the movie exhibit completely took over the Schloss. You can see very little of the original decour and none of the hunting trophies. All were either removed or covered for the movie display. The Schloss is probably worthwile visiting otherwise, but if you decide to visit, just make sure the Cinderalla exhibit isn't going on... unless you love the movie, and you're fluent in German or Czech, because there's no English available.

Also in Moritzburg, I ran into a heiritage steam railway. I thought, why not? The train ran to the nearby wine town of Radebeul (I didn't even know that Saxony had a wine region). Pretty nice town. Lots of Jugenstil architecture, which was a nice contrast all the Socialist Realism and Stalinist Gothic in Dresden. The scenery along the ride was nothing too special, but still, a nice reminder that this is Germany, not the Soviet Union.

Finally, it looks like Moritzburg is a regional equestrian center. If you're interested in that kind of stuff, the town will host a stallion parade in September (cont).

Now, onto Meißen. Famous for it's porcelain works, I visited mainly for the large castle-cathedral (Albrectsburg) complex on top of the hill overlooking the town. The town itself is surprisingly attractive. With it's brightly painted buildings, it looks like it belongs more in southern Bavaria and then the Elbe valley of Saxony. Still, like most smaller towns in the former DDR, it could use a few new coats of paint and spiffing up here and there. I didn't have time to visit both the castle and cathedral, so I chose the castle. Only the first floor has much in the way of decoration, and this is mostly 19th century Romantic-era re-imagining of the medieval period. Kind of like the way the murals in Hohenschwangau display a heavily romanticized history of Bavaria's Wittelsbach royal family, the murals and statues here tell a similar story of Saxony's Wettins. I thought it was interesting, but some people might yell "Fake!", because it's not purely medieval (I still don't understand why that should matter). The rest of the building has displays on the porcelain manufacturing that once occupied the structure, and exhibits on the engineering of the castle. Kind of like you visit Mont St. Michel not because of the interior decor but because of the fascinating structure of the building itself, the same goes for Albrechtsburg. A whole lot of Gothic arching, windows, spires, gargoyles and columns.

I found the audioguide a little confusing. It focuses mostly on the artistic and architectural details of the castle, but didn't provide a clear history of it. Initially, it claims that this is Germany's oldest castle, but it was built in the late 1400s, so that can't be correct. I think it may be a poor translation of the difference between the German words Schloß and Burg. Also, there was very little information about who lived there and when. Was it ever destroyed and rebuilt? How long was it used as a porcelain factory? Very hard to put together with the non-linear nature of the audioguide.

Put Meißen on the top of your list for daytrips from Dresden. (cont).

Finally, on my route home, I wanted to make one final stop. Jena and Chemnitz, often share the ignoble title of "Germany's ugliest city". Jena will have to wait for another time, but I made a quick stop in Chemnitz to make my own evaluation. So, does Chemnitz, known for 30-some years to the world by the name of Karl-Marx-Stadt, deserve this reputation? Not really. She's no beauty, but it's not that bad. It's actually more pleasent than some of the industrial and rebuilt cities of the lower Rhine and Ruhr regions, like Dortmund, Duisburg and Essen. Chemnitz maintains a surprisingly large amount of green space. Far more pre-war architecture survives than I would have suspected, although there's still too much central planning Socialist Realism. Like Dresden, it's amazingly clean. And like Dresden, it also has that same hollowed-out feeling. Much of the outer housing districts appear nearly deserted.

So, Chemnitz isn't a city that really has anything to offer a casual tourist, but on the off chance you find yourself there on business or for whatever reason, don't despair. It could be a lot worse.

Thus ends my first excursion into Saxony, the industrial heartland of the former Deutsche Demokratische Republik. There's a lot more castles I would like to see and Sächsiche Schweiz and Leipzig still await. Even still, this is not Germany for first-timers. The language barrier is coming down, but it's still very much in place. And all the remnants of that central planning are a little off-putting at times, particularly in the cities. But still, there's more than enough to keep you busy, and although it's not as "storybook" as other parts of the country, it still offers enough of what people visit Germany to see.

PS- One more surprise. I always thought of Saxony as solid Luther-country, but I learned on this trip that the rulers were Catholic from the mid 18th century until the abolishment of the monarchy after WWI. I guess that explains the Catholic Frauenkirche in the middle of Dresden.

@ Tom...true, one would have to be blind not to notice the similarity of cities like Essen, Dortmund, Duisburg to be in the same league as Chemnitz, I don't know Chemnitz but am familiar with the other three in having spent time visitng the places. My professor in the late 1960s stated over and over that Essen was the most polluted city in (West) Germany that he knew. My first time in Essen was in '77, it didn't seem to be so bad as he asserted, maybe cleaned up in the intervening years, but I found Gelsenkirchen in '77 to be the most polluted I had run into until then. Hideous cities, architecturally speaking, are those above listed Ruhr cities as well as Hamm and Gelsenkirchen. Chemnitz fitting that bill comes as no surprise.

Meißen is worthy of a day or two, "the cradle of Saxony," a nice place to relax, have a lunch break, etc. . It is one of the towns that survived the war basically intact. True, any reconstruction from the war or since reunification by way refurbishing, etc. is different from the west. Better...I would NOT say that, merely a different feel to it, different vibes. Some of the difference is visual. But I was only in Meissen once as a day trip from Dresden, saw some of the sights but still too rushed, will certainly do a return visit.

I saw that bit of Dresden-Neustadt only on a Saturday afternoon, walked across the bridge into that pedestrian area. It wasn't crowded as would be the case in Düsseldorf the Innenstadt but it wasn't dead either. The big history museum is in Dresden-Neustadt, that area was untouched by the bombs.

In 2012 I had planned to do a day trip to Jena but cancelled to spend that time in Leipzig instead. Jena is interesting if you're really into science and esp optics since the Zeiss Museum is there, same reason for going to Wetzlar. The battlefield museum was too far to get to for a day trip.

Last comment....it feels, looks different because there is something present in the former East that WAS ...those hideous apt blocks in open spaces ...those Mietskasernen, which have been turned into whatever, such as in Dresden , HI hostel ca 15 mins on foot from the main station.

"Jena is interesting if you're really into science and esp optics" Funny you mention that, Fred, because I found the most interesting museum in the Zwinger complex to be the mathematical and scientific instrument collection. Particularly the large specimens of burning lenses and mirrors on the top floor.