Dresden Old Town Self-Guided Walking Tour

Dresden Germany Exterior-of-Frauenkirche-04 | CC BY-SA 3.0 | Wikimedia Commons

Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0Dresden Germany Exterior-of-Frauenkirche-04 — CEphoto, Uwe Aranas — CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons

2007-04-29 Dresden 01 | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons

Photo: Szilas / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.02007-04-29 Dresden 01 — Szilas — CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons

Welcome to our compact tour through Dresden's wonderful Altstadt! In about an hour, you will discover the most iconic places in this fascinating city and experience the impressive history of its reconstruction as well as the Baroque splendor that characterizes Dresden to this day. Let yourself be enchanted by the majes…

Brühlscheterrasse01 | Public domain | Wikimedia Commons

Photo: Nikater / Wikimedia Commons, Public domainBrühlscheterrasse01 — Nikater — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons

2007-04-29 Dresden 01 | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons

Photo: Szilas / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.02007-04-29 Dresden 01 — Szilas — CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons

When you cross the Schlossplatz coming from the Semperoper, you reach the Brühlsche Terrasse. What is known today as the Balcony of Europe was originally part of Dresden's fortification systems from the 16th century. It was not until 1814 that the Russian Governor-General Nikolai Repnin-Volkonsky opened this private ar…

20070207405MDR Dresden Cholerabrunnen Sophienstraße | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons

Photo: Jörg Blobelt / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.020070207405MDR Dresden Cholerabrunnen Sophienstraße — Jörg Blobelt — CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons

Cholerabrunnen Dresden 10 | CC BY-SA 3.0 | Wikimedia Commons

Photo: Dr. Bernd Gross / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0Cholerabrunnen Dresden 10 — Dr. Bernd Gross — CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons

If you stroll from the Brühlsche Terrasse towards the Zwinger, you'll pass by this Neo-Gothic monument: the Cholera Fountain. With its four sandstone figures – John the Baptist, Elizabeth, Wittekind, and Winfried Bonifacius – it almost looks like a small piece of architectural history in passing. The fountain was erect…

Dresden-Semperoper-gp | CC BY-SA 3.0 | Wikimedia Commons

Photo: User:Kolossos / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0Dresden-Semperoper-gp — User:Kolossos — CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons

Semperoper Dresden Sachsen Germany | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons

Photo: Lupus in Saxonia / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0Semperoper Dresden Sachsen Germany — Lupus in Saxonia — CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons

If you come from the Zwinger, you now stand before the Theaterplatz and directly in front of the Semperoper. The building you see today is Gottfried Semper's second construction. After the first opera house burned down in 1869, Semper designed this magnificent building in the style of Italian High Renaissance, which wa…

Goldener Reiter Dresden | CC BY-SA 3.0 | Wikimedia Commons

Photo: Je-str / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0Goldener Reiter Dresden — Je-str — CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons

Dresden Germany Golden-Rider-01 | CC BY-SA 3.0 | Wikimedia Commons

Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0Dresden Germany Golden-Rider-01 — CEphoto, Uwe Aranas — CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons

We stand here at Neustädter Markt before the Golden Rider, probably Dresden's most famous monument. The statue depicts August the Strong in the role of a Roman Caesar on a prancing Lipizzaner. What is interesting is its orientation: the horse does not gallop toward the Altstadt, but rather toward the northeast — direct…