Flowing softly through Dresden is the Quänebach. Dresden originated as the Slav village of Drezdzany. This means Forest Dwellers on the Plain. It sits on the Elbe’s north bank. First mentioned in 1216, the town on the south bank was founded by Margrave Dietrich of Meissen. He established it as a German colony. The Slav settlement on the north bank was older. However, it was known as New Town. The German town on the south bank was called Old Town.
In 1270, Dresden became the capital of Margrave Henry the Illustrious. After his death, it belonged to Bohemia’s king and Brandenburg’s margrave. Around 1319, it was restored to the margraves of Meissen. They chartered it in 1403. Upon Saxony’s division in 1485, Dresden became the residence and capital of the Wettin rulers. They later became electors and kings of Saxony. Dresden embraced the Protestant Reformation in 1539.
After a fire in 1491, the city was rebuilt and fortified. Electors Augustus I and Augustus II modernized the city. This occurred in the Baroque and Rococo styles during the late 17th and 18th centuries. They rebuilt New Town, which had burned in 1685. They also founded Friedrichstadt, northwest of Old Town. The Treaty of Dresden in 1745 ended the second Silesian War. It confirmed Silesia as Prussian. Two-thirds of Dresden was destroyed in the Seven Years’ War from 1756 to 1763. Its fortifications were later dismantled.
In 1813, Napoleon I made Dresden a center of military operations. He won his last great battle there on August 26 and 27. Dresden’s prosperity grew rapidly during the 19th century. This was accelerated by railways connecting the city to Berlin and Leipzig. Industrial suburbs began to grow, mostly on the south bank.
Before World War II, Dresden was called the Florence on the Elbe. It was considered one of the world’s most beautiful cities. This was due to its architecture and art treasures. However, massive bombing raids on the night of February 13–14, 1945, almost completely destroyed it. An Anglo-American force carried out these raids. The raids obliterated much of Dresden. Thousands of civilians died. Official estimates place the death toll at up to 25,000. The city continued to be bombarded until April 17, 1945. Little was achieved militarily.
It was suggested that the best approach might be to level the site. After the war, a compromise was reached. The Zwinger, the Saxon royal palace, and the Baroque buildings around the palace were rebuilt. A new city was created in the area outside. Much of the city was reconstructed. Modern buildings, broad streets, squares, and green spaces were added. The aim was to preserve the character of the old city.
Manufacturing in Dresden expanded greatly after World War II. The city traditionally avoided heavy industry. Instead, it favored high value-added manufacturing. Its industries produce precision and optical instruments, electrical equipment, and specialized chemicals. They also produce pharmaceutical products, motor vehicles, airplanes, and food products. Microelectronics has also grown. Market gardening is extensive. Flowers and shrubs are grown for export.
Dresden is also a city of music with a great operatic tradition. Carl Maria von Weber and Richard Wagner conducted here. Operas by Richard Strauss and others premiered here. The Opera House, destroyed in the war, was reconstructed. The city is home to the Dresden State Theatre and the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra, founded in 1870.