Due to BA's possible strike on the 27th, I am considering travelling from Prague to Dresden for four nights. The Kempinski Hotel looks very comfortabl, so i will stay there - no horror stories on tripadvisor - are there any here?

Anyway, more to the point... What is there to see and do in Dresden? Are there shops of the designer variety?

I liked the German Hygiene Museum:

www.dhmd.de/englisch/Pages/e_mainfra.htm

It's quirky and quite the change from the typical oil-paintings-in-huge-frames-hanging-everywhere museum.

I saw a temporary exhibit on the mind back in the late 90's. They did some stuff with visual miscuing that was interesting. Every go to the potty while bathed in bright green light? It makes your skin look really weird when you see yourself in the mirror.

Hi,

I live in Dresden, so obviously do not use to stay in a hotel here but I have not heard any complaints about the Kempinski Hotel Taschenbergpalais.

Which 27th will you be in Dresden? August? A little too early to see the New Green Vault (jewellery collection) which opens 8 Sept.

The Kempinski Hotel is right in the old town, close to everything.

See the Zwinger palace with its museums (porcelain collection, picture gallery Old Masters, armoury, watches & clocks collection, Mathematic-Physical salon [centuries old scientific instruments]). Unfortunately there are some restoration/construction works going on in the courtyard of the Zwinger right now - scaffolding etc.

A must is the Semper Opera house. Highly recommended is to attend an opera/concert/ballet one evening there (if you're interested). Otherwise join a guided tour.

The Baroque cathedral is also well worth to see. One highlight is the altar painting by Raphael Anton Mengs, the other the famous organ by Gottfried Silbermann (every Wed and Sat 11.30 - 12.00 free organ play).

The Royal Palace is still under reconstruction. You should at least climb on the tower which offers a great view (small exhibit on the destruction of Dresden 1945). Right vis-a-vis of the Kempinski hotel is the entrance to another wing of the Royal Palace where you can visit the Collection of Prints and Drawings (with 450.000 pieces one of the biggest world wide). They have a temporary exhibit - right now Rembrandt and his school - and a study room where you can see (almost) all the other works upon request.

Not to miss is also a walk along Brühl's Terrace with fountains, monuments, garden and some impressive buildings as well as beautiful views of the river and the city.

At the eastern end of Brühl's terrace you find the Albertinum building, which houses an impressive sculptures collection (from ancient to Baroque), a coin collection and the excellent picture gallery New Masters. This picture gallery reopens tomorrow (Mostly German Romanticism, Impressionism, Expressionism and some modern works of Gerhard Richter)

The Frauenkirche is still a construction site. Although complete from outside you cannot go inside - except the "tours" in the under church, but there you cannot see much. It is only a presentation of history and architecture in a movie and by a guide. In English only Wed 5 pm.

Not to miss is a steamboat trip on the river from the city centre to Pillnitz Palace. You'll pass castles, the Blue Wonder Bridge, see beautiful villas on hillsides, and finally palace and gardens of Pillnitz. Back by bus or tram to the city centre.

You should also do a day trip to Meissen, a small town 20 km north of Dresden. 1000 years old town, cathedral, castle and the famous porcelain manufacture (tours, show, shopping).

For shopping in Dresden cross the river. The quarter Hauptstrasse/Königstrasse in the Neustadt is well known for some designer shops, boutiques, antiquities and regional craftwork etc. If I recall correctly there are designer shops also in the Kempinski hotel.

Let me know if I can help further.

Ingo

Art is great in Dresden, go see the "Alte Meister" gallery with all of Canaletto's paintings.

A must see is the Green Vault jewelry collection - incredible! Minuscule pieces with amazing detail leave you in awe. This exhibition is relocating to the castle though, so I don't know whether it's open right this minute or not.

The re-built old town is really really pretty. Haven't been there since they sort of finished with the Frauenkirche, but looking forward to going back.

There's a bunch of smaller castles on the outskirts of Dresden, overlooking the river. Also of interest.

Dresden also has one of three surviving codices written by the Maya civilization of Mexico/Central America, and the only one that can be visited by the public.

Are there boutiques stocking the German designer, Jil Sander? Or any offerings from Helmut Lang and Prada?

Just for your information, there is an exhibit called the Glories of Baroque Dresden currently on display in Jackson, MS. I don't know if anything on display is what you would like to see, but it has many of Dresden's treasures. I believe the display is in MS until mid-September. Here is a website detailing the exhibit.
http://www.visitjackson.com/detail.php?id=934

I am sure I have seen Jil Sander stuff in the shops in the Königstrasse. And I am sure her clothes are available in the Altmarkt-Galerie (a shopping mall only 5 minutes from the Kempinski hotel).

But let me have a look on Monday

I.

Ingo, The mayor of Dresden should put you on his payroll! You are so very helpful.

Ingo: Many thanks for all your extremely helpful information.

I'm in Prague as of Sunday, so am not sure if I will have time to check on this forum for your advice, however, thanks once again.

Chtiet, could you tell me where the Mayan codice is on display?
Thanks, Judy

I found the Dresden Codex on a site that lists its' location as Staatsarchiv, a research library? No mention of the codex on the library's site. I would be thrilled to be able to see it.

The Mayan codex is on display in the State and University Library (SLUB). Recently they moved into a new building near the University (Zellescher Weg, btw, an excellent example of contemporary architecture).

Simply ask the staff at the reception. On the uppermost floor is a room, like a little shrine, called "Zimelienzimmer" where the Mayan codex and other pieces are on display - and all that for free!

opening hours Mon-Sat 9 am to 4 pm
guided tours Wed 4 pm, Sat 2 pm (reservation required, email [email protected] or phone 0351-4677 114)

Ingo, Thank you so much for the codex information. It will be a 'must see' for us.
Thanks again for you help, Judy

Talk about coincidences--the LA TImes just published an article on Dresden today. You can read it at http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-...la-home-travel

Thanks zeppo. Very interesting to read. I also enjoyed the related article on Modernist Design in Dresden. Just want to add that the (today) reopened picture gallery New Masters would have been worth to mention - especially with its new exhibit on 41 works of Gerhard Richter, one of Germany's leading (living) artists.
http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-...la-home-travel

Ingo

judybr - good, you got the info. I saw the codex in its old location in some sort of library/archive out of the way & off the beaten path. Very interesting, but of course to the "commoner's" eye it is just a bunch of pictures/hieroglyphs. They had some literature there (in German only though) that explained what it was all about.

I can see mkingdom walking up and down the streets of Prague looking for the train station, terrified to ask anyone for directions. "Oh, God, isn't there anyone coming along wearing Louis Vuitton trainers," she will exclaim. "I can't ask anyone passing by because they are all wearing flip-flops from the grocery store."