Dresden, A Metropolis between the Baroque and High Tech

Learning German and German Culture in Dresden is a special experience. The capital of Saxony offers an ideal atmosphere for an unforgettable stay. You can make friends and aquaintances quickly with the friendly and open locals. And waiting there for you is Kästner Kolleg one of the city’s leading language schools.

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A Baroque „Florence-on-the-Elbe“

Dresden, the pearl of East Germany, is full of monuments and cultural traditions.  Spanning an 800-year history, most notably during the time of Augustus the Strong,  many world-renowned  structure were created.  Like the Zwinger, with its famous galleries and museums,  the Frauenkirche, the Meißner Porcelain Factory, or picturesque castle Pillnitz.  Surrounding the baroque panorama is the breathtaking riverside landscape along the Elbe, which is visited by thousands of tourists yearly and boasts a UNESCO heritage site status.  This the the Florence of the Elbe.

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High Tech City

Thanks to the many high tech companies like AMD and Infineon, Dresden is one of the most important locations worldwide for microelectronics – hence the name „Silicon Saxony“.  Along with the VW Glass Factory and esteemed research institutes like Fraunhofer and Max Plank Institute, Dresden is a center for modern sciences and technological innovation.

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UNESCO World Heritage Site

[...]The Elbe Valley was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2004.  The 18th- and 19th-century cultural landscape of Dresden Elbe Valley extends some 18 km along the river from Übigau Palace and Ostragehege fields in the north-west to the Pillnitz Palace and the Elbe River Island in the south-east. It features low meadows, and is crowned by the Pillnitz Palace and the centre of Dresden with its numerous monuments and parks from the 16th to 20th centuries. [...]

(From a UNESCO article about the Dresden Elbe Valley)

• More information about UNESCO

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Academic Center

The variety of academics and study in Dresden is astonishing.  Besides the Technical University, where – among other things - the color television was invented, there is the Music Conservatory, the Palucca Dance Academy, and the Art Academy.  There are over 35,000 domestic and foreign students in Dresden.

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Dresden-Neustadt

On the northern bank of the Elbe lies the Dresden-Neustadt.  This cosmopolitan quarter is home to countless galleries, bookstores, theaters, vibrant house facades and courtyards.  Evenings, it is the place to go for all sorts of different young people.  There are many bars, pubs, cafés and restaurants.  On warm summer nights it is a great nightlife district.

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Parties, Festivities, Happenings

Dresden loves its festivals, balls and parties, all year round even. Care for a sampling?

In May

• Neustadt Fest: Music, theater, gastronomy in the baroque section of the Neustadt
• Traditional steamboat trips
• Dixieland: swing and jazz at the oldest festival of ist kind in Europe
• Dresden Music Fest
• Baroque Ballnight Dresden: „1719 –the Dresden Court prepares for the the prince’s marriage“ at the Japanese Palace.  18th century costume mandatory.  Music, dancing, fashion, games and fireworks

In June

• Hellerau goes International: Brazillian Summer Fest
• 40th Christopher Street Birthday
• Bunte Republik Neustadt (BRN): Dresden’s wildest party.  Family fun during the day, a giant outdoor party at night.
• Summer Arena Albrechtsberg Palace
• Elbhangfest: folk fest with arts and crafts, Saxon specialities, antiques, wine, and the dragonboat race
• Museum Night
• Dresden Palace Night

And so on. More info here: Links

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Sport

And if you have an athletic lifestyle, there are all sorts of options:  climbing in the Saxon Switzerland, football in the park, cycling and hiking through the Heath or jogging on the Elbe are just a few ... more

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Links

• Dresden Panorama
• Die Stadt Dresden
• Dresden Neustadt
• Dresden Tourismus Information
• Dresden bei Nacht
• Aktuelle Veranstaltungshinweise
• Dresdner Feste und Festivals
• Dresdner Kunst 20. Jahrhundert
• Alte Meister
• Semperoper
• Frauenkirche
• Grünes Gewölbe
• Dampferfahrt
• Schlösser in Dresden