What's New in Dresden, Germany?

WHY IT RATES:Discover all the new things going on in and around Dresden, Germany. - Eric Bowman, TravelPulse Senior Editor

Dresden is currently experiencing a construction boom / Between October 2016 and April 2017: within 6 months, Dresden opens 3 performing art centers with 7 stages. More cultural projects are now well underway: the Old Master's Gallery and the Royal Palace

Dresden is currently in the midst of a construction boom poised to bring a new look to the Saxony state capital. While Dresden still had a population of 452,800 in 1998, by End of 2015, just 17 years later, the number of residents had risen by 96,000 to 548 800. And counting - not least due to the city's high birth rate which has earned Dresden it's standing as the "birth capital" of Germany. The entire metropolitan area is a beehive of building activity.

Yet the most evident transformation is occurring right in the heart of the city itself. Destroyed in 1945 and then generously mapped out as a major socialist city with large open areas, the city is now projecting a more concentrated presence once again. Notable large-scale urban projects also being developed will further serve to strengthen Dresden's position as a cultural city.

New stage for contemporary music theatre: Semper 2

The first of the new stages has been opened in October 16th, 2016. Semper 2, attached to the prestigious Semperoper, takes an audience of up to 200 on a voyage of discovery into an alternate world of music theatre. Semper 2 is a spacious room, shaped like a cube, which has everything that a theatre needs while dispensing with the classical proscenium arch. Instead of a cavernous orchestral pit separating those on the stage from those in front of it, singers, musicians and audience share the same space, and indeed the same floorboards, thereby placing all participants in the same theatrical world.

Birth of a new cultural center: Kraftwerk Mitte Dresden

A new center for art, culture and creativity has been opened on December 16, 2016 within the vibrant heart of the city from the grounds of the former heating and power plant. The building complex - a delightful fusion of protected monuments and new structures - is the new home of the Dresden State Operetta (1 stage for 700 visitors) and the tjg. Theatre of the Young Generation (3 stages for in total 600 visitors). Kraftwerk Mitte also offers the city's creative scene plenty of welcoming space for studios and galleries, offices and eateries. The Carl Maria-von-Weber University of Music and the Heinrich Schutz Conservatory are readying their rehearsal rooms on the grounds. Kraftwerk Mitte has long featured the finest caliber of entertainment as Dresden's party central since 2010 while the Dresden Energy Museum under the auspices of DREWAG - Stadtwerke Dresden GmbH has likewise been attracting enthusiastic visitors for many years.

The Dresden state capital will have invested up to approximately 91million Euro into the project by then. Even the staff of the Dresden State Operetta have financially contributed by chipping in a portion of their own salaries for several years.

Dresden Philharmonic on the Elbe: The converted Kulturpalast

Like its sister city of Hamburg, Dresden will dedicate a new concert hall for the Dresden Philharmonic opening the last weekend in April 2017 - in the completely converted Kulturpalast. Protected as a historical monument, the shell of the original 1969 building including its "The Path of the Red Flag" mural has been preserved. The centerpiece of the Kulturpalast is its terraced concert hall and organ which live up to the highest acoustic and visual international standards. It will be able to host 1800 attendees.

New neighbors include the time-honored Herkuleskeule cabaret revue featuring biting political satire with 250 seats as well as the Dresden Public Libraries housed within an architecturally historical monument. The broad spectrum of events being planned for the Kulturpalast seek to draw the most diverse age and interest groups.

At an estimated cost of 87.5 million, the project is being piloted by Kommunalen Immobilien Dresden GmbH & Co. KG. (KID) which is also heading up the Kraftwerk Mitte Dresden project.

Royal Treasures from brilliants to clothings - The continuing Residenzschloss reconstruction

In 1987, shortly after completion of the Semper Opera House, the former East German government began the reconstruction of Dresden 's war-ravaged Royal Palace (Residenzschloss) which had only just barely escaped the nationwide demolition of castles and churches under Walter Ulbricht. The spectacular palace at the heart of the city has been regarded as Dresden's most ambitious reconstruction project ever since. The Free State of Saxony has spent more than 500 million Euro to date on its development into a citadel of science and art under the administration of the Dresden State Art Collections (Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden).

Over the past ten years, a steady stream of visitors have marveled at the treasures on display in the reconstructed Baroque setting of the Historic Green Vault, including the collected jewels of August the Strong. The vault' s name incidentally originates from the first known mention of a repository in 1572 which was painted green and located on the ground floor of the Royal Palace. Visiting the historical royal vault requires advance purchase of a limited-time ticket while the New Green Vault, home to a further 1000 treasures, is included with entrance to the Royal Palace.

After the Green Vault, (re)opening followed of the so-called "English Stairway", the Gallery of the Electo rs, the Turkish Chamber, the palace chapel, the Armoury in the Hall of the Giants and, most recently, the Coin Cabinet within the palace in June 2015. Current reconstruction efforts are focused on the 19th century Small Ballroom. With "Weltsicht und Wissen um 1600" (Concept and Encounter: The World around 1600) the next part of another larger exhibition area at the Dresden Residenzschloss has been opened in March 2016.

The new permanent exhibition in the Residenzschloss from April 9, 2017 will be focused on "The Electoral Wardrobe". Original costumes held in the R0stkammer that were worn by the electors of Saxony in the period from about 1550 to 1650 illustrate the luxurious princely fashions of the Renaissance and early Baroque, such as are otherwise seen only in portraits of the great rulers of that era.

In four rooms a fascinatingly splendid show of luxurious fabrics, embroidery, lace and passementerie in gold, silver and silk will be a feast for the eyes. Many years of thorough conservation and restoration have made it possible to create a sumptuous display of the princely garments in all their glory: the entire collection of 27 costumes belonging to the former rulers - 6 complete costume ensembles, 11 sets of matching doublet and breeches, 4 ladies' dresses and 6 individual outer garments. These items of clothing are unrivaled among international museums, and owing to their original condition they are of paramount significance for understanding European fashion and textile art during the Renaissance and early Baroque periods.

The coming years will see the reconstruction of the sgraffito facades in the Great Palace Courtyard as well as the restoration of August the Strong's historical parade rooms.

New space for paintings and sculptures

The first great step has been taken: The renovation of the east wing of the Gemaldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden has been completed. During the general redevelopment of the west wing, which is now also to take place, the world-famous collection is on show at a special presentation in the re­ opened part of the museum.

A condensed series of world-class paintings from the late Middle Ages to the Enlightenment stretches over three floors. Instead of following a traditional hang by school, the exhibition focuses on different topics, genres, artistic trends or techniques. Italian, Spanish, Dutch, German, French, British or Swiss artists are brought together at several points to illustrate the portrait, the still life, Caravaggism or pastels, repeatedly offering a chance to see European paintings on joint display.

One unique aspect of this setup, which will be in place until the grand re-opening of the building as a whole in spring 2019, is the temporary use of the eastern hall as a display area for paintings. The great columned hall then will again house the Skulpturensammlung Antiquities Collection.

New architecture with Baroque seasoning: Dresden's Neumarkt

Of all the towns and cities across Germany, Dresden is perpetually held by the country's citizens to be the greatest pearl in terms of protecting its architectural heritage. Studies by the Allensbach (2006, 2012) and Brandmeyer (2015) institutes have even confirmed this. Yet the most evident expressions are not even historical monuments in the true legal sense. The Baroque facades ringing Dresden's Neumarkt square and giving the rebuilt Frauenkirche a befitting setting are technically considered new buildings.

That they nevertheless give the overall impression of the former Baroque town center prior to being destroyed in 1945 and have also become the city's tourism magnet, can primarily be attributed to the Gesellschaft Historischer Neumarkt Dresden e.V. action group.

After extensively clearing the area in the 1950's despite significant preserved remnants all under protest by monument conservationists, the East German government no longer dared to undertake any reconstruction work. There was then great post-reunification temptation to make the area available to private investors for modern large-scale projects. Armed with expert knowledge and persistence, the citizen-led group prevailed upon the design commissions and fought for every site. The result is a masterful visual compromise, today standing as a model for other cities with each quarter now representing a different individualized solution: from almost completely faithful replications to new modern constructions in historical dimensions.