Dresden is the capital of the federal state of Saxony in Germany (Freistaat Sachsen). Elbflorenz, or “Florence on the Elbe,” refers to its riverine position and status as a center for arts and exquisite architecture, similar to Florence in Italy. While Florence flourished during the early Renaissance, the Golden Age of Dresden was in the 18th century, when Saxony was a rich and important state under August the Strong and his son, Friedrich August II, and the rulers invested in lavish architectural projects in their capital and supported artists of international renown.
Despite suffering catastrophic damage from allied bombing in 1945 and then losing much of its remaining architectural heritage at the hands of the socialist city planners of the DDR era, Dresden was able to resurrect its charm by rebuilding the city’s most important landmarks, culminating in the renovation of the famous Frauenkirche just in time for the city’s 800th birthday in 2006.
Dresden is still a lovely, relaxing, and in many ways picturesque city that has become a popular tourist destination as well as a regional economic, political, and intellectual center. Dresden receives around ten million tourists every year, the majority of whom are German, with the Czech Republic, the United States, Russia, and Japan being the most common places of origin for international visitors.
Dresden has an oceanic climate (Cfb) due to its inland position, with warm summers and somewhat cooler winters than the German norm. In January, the average temperature is 0.1 °C (32.18 °F), whereas in July, the average temperature is 19.0 °C (66.2 °F). The driest months are February, March, and April, with precipitation totaling less than 40 mm (1.6 in). July and August are the wettest months, with more than 80 mm (3.1 in) of rain each month.
The microclimate in the Elbe valley varies from that on the hills and in the upper elevations, where the Dresden weather station is located at 227 meters above sea level in the Dresden district Klotzsche. At 112 meters above sea level, the weather in Klotzsche is 1 to 3 degrees Celsius (1.8 to 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) cooler than in the city.
At an elevation of roughly 113 meters, Dresden is located on both sides of the Elbe River, largely in the Dresden Basin, with the farther reaches of the eastern Ore Mountains to the south, the steep slope of the Lusatian granitic crust to the north, and the Elbe Sandstone Mountains to the east (371 feet). At 384 meters, Triebenberg is Dresden’s highest point (1,260 feet).
Dresden has been dubbed “Elbflorenz” because of its lovely position and moderate temperature on the Elbe, as well as its Baroque-style architecture and several world-renowned museums and art collections (Florence of the Elbe). Dresden is Germany’s fourth biggest urban district by area, behind Berlin, Hamburg, and Cologne, thanks to the integration of neighboring rural villages during the last 60 years.
Chemnitz is 80 kilometers (50 miles) to the southwest, Leipzig is 100 kilometers (62 miles) to the northwest, and Berlin is 200 kilometers (120 miles) to the north. Prague, Czech Republic is approximately 150 kilometers (93 miles) to the south, while Wrocaw, Poland is around 200 kilometers (120 miles) to the east.
Dresden was one of the most prominent German cities, a major industrial core of the German Democratic Republic, until renowned firms such as Dresdner Bank fled during the communist period to prevent nationalisation. The GDR era, from 1949 to 1990, was marked by poor economic development in compared to western German cities. Dresden had to contend with the Soviet Union’s and other Eastern European export markets’ economic downfall in 1990. After reunification, firms and industrial sites almost totally disintegrated when they joined the social market economy, competing with the Federal Republic of Germany. Following 1990, a totally new legal system and currency system were implemented, and infrastructure was extensively reconstructed with monies provided by the Federal Republic of Germany. Dresden, as a major metropolitan center, has expanded far quicker and more consistently than most other places in the former German Democratic Republic, but it still confronts numerous social and economic challenges as a result of the old system’s collapse, notably high unemployment rates.
The unemployment rate ranged between 13% and 15% between 1990 and 2010, and it is still very high, with a low of 8.9% in May 2012. Dresden’s GDP per capita has risen to 31,100 euros, approaching the GDP per capita of other West German municipalities (the average of the 50 biggest cities is around 35,000 euro).
Dresden’s share of highly skilled employees is once again among the highest in Germany and Europe, thanks to the presence of public administrative centers, a high density of semi-public research institutions, and an expansion of publicly supported high technology industries. Dresden is consistently ranked as one of the top 10 larger cities in Germany to live in.
The local area code is 0351. In the city center, there are a few internet cafés. One is beside Subway on the Altmarkt, while the other is behind the “Altmarktgallerie” retail center on the Altmarkt.
