Europe

Strolling in Dresden, the Most Beautiful City in Germany

Half of my journey in Europe almost passed by unnoticed when I left Berlin for Dresden, the capital of the state of Saxony, Germany. Well, the plan was to explore Dresden and visit a friend. With just five passengers on the bus, I arrived in Dresden around 6:00 PM. However, it was already very dark as the sun sets at about 4:30 PM in Germany.

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My friend picked me up in her car at the Hauptbahnhof, the main station in Dresden. She drove me to her house in the small town of Pirna, which is just a 20-minute drive from Dresden. Her mother greeted me warmly with a hug and a bright smile. After storing my bag, we went out for dinner.

 

The chilly outside temperature, around 7 degrees Celsius, made me reluctant to go out again. The area where my friend lives is more like a village, with few houses and a quiet atmosphere. At 8:00 PM, it felt like midnight. We stayed home chatting. The next day, I began exploring the city.

 

The sun was shining brightly, lifting some of the cold that had enveloped my body. We went to the border village between Germany and the Czech Republic, or Ceska, and then to the small town of Teplice in the Czech Republic. On this journey, I experienced a new atmosphere with beautiful natural scenery. Instead of the old gothic buildings, there were vast green meadows, rolling hills, and trees with yellow-brown leaves, typical of autumn.

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My friend took me to the border town to buy fuel. She and other Germans prefer to buy fuel in the Czech Republic because it’s at least 20 cents cheaper per liter. They even bring fuel canisters. In both Germany and the Czech Republic, people can fill up their cars and cans without showing a purchase card. They also pump their own gas and pay at the cashier afterward.

 

After refueling, we returned to Germany through the village of Petrovice and stopped at a travel-free shop. This supermarket, claimed to be a travel-free shop with cheap prices at the European border, was frequented by Germans because the Czech koruna is worth less than the euro. People pay in euros, even though the prices are in koruna. It felt like the Singaporeans who visit Batam to buy instant noodles or household goods.

 

Across from the supermarket, there was a market selling souvenirs and clothes. I looked for a jacket at the Petrovice market, as many were available. I chose a woolen one, which turned out to be made in Turkey. It cost 20 euros. The seller was a woman from Vietnam. I laughed at the situation: bought in the Czech Republic, made in Turkey, sold by a Vietnamese, paid with euros, and bought by someone from Indonesia. I took the jacket home to fend off the cold for the rest of my European journey.

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In addition to visiting the border village between Germany and the Czech Republic, I also went to a cattle-grazing site in a village in Germany. The cows were released into the wide meadow, but it was fenced off with an electric wire. I was shocked when I accidentally touched it and got a mild shock. Fortunately, it wasn’t painful. I moved away from the wire, and the cows came closer to me, possibly thinking I had food or was the owner.

 

After experiencing the beautiful landscape, the next day I revisited the old town of Dresden, with its baroque and gothic architecture. The city, divided by the Elbe River, is beautiful and not overly noisy. It isn’t dominated by buildings, as there are many parks and lush forests as well. In the old town, called Altstadt, many historic buildings are still visible, including fortresses, opera houses, and royal residences.

 

Among them are the Augustusbrücke (Augustus Bridge), Katholische Hofkirche, Dresden Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) with its beautiful dome, Semperoper, a famous opera house built in the 1800s, and Zwinger. Zwinger is a Baroque palace with a beautiful garden and galleries.

 

There is also Fürstenzug, a 102-meter-long mural depicting the kings who ruled Saxony. It was created between 1871 and 1876 to celebrate 800 years of the Wettin dynasty’s reign. Initially painted, the mural was later replaced with porcelain. Fürstenzug is located on the outer wall of the Stallhof (Stable Courtyard) of the Dresden Castle.

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The beauty of this historic city is also visible from Brühl’s Terrace, also known as the Balcony of Europe, which faces the Elbe River. It’s called the “Balcony of Europe” because it resembles a wide upper terrace. From this Renaissance-style balcony, I watched the boats crossing the Elbe, with Gothic buildings across the river and the old town’s structures. I enjoyed the atmosphere of the old town until the afternoon, as at 3:00 PM I joined a tour at the Transparent Factory, the Volkswagen production center in Dresden.

 

We chose this time because an English-speaking tour guide was available. The tour cost 7 euros per person, and it lasted about an hour. We were in a hurry as the time showed 2:55 PM. When we arrived near the transparent Volkswagen building, we ran to find the entrance. The side door was closed, so we quickly moved to the main entrance. In the lobby, we bought tickets and then met the tour guide.

 

The tour guide, William Schultz, who also works at Volkswagen Dresden, took us around the production center. During the one-hour tour, we visited every part of the production area. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take photos inside the production facility. Visitors could only take photos in the lounge, which displayed finished cars. Visitors could also sit in the cars and try the steering wheel. I gave it a try. Although the tour ended at 4:00 PM, I stayed at the Volkswagen production center until the sky darkened, then returned home for dinner.

gettyimages.com

 

On my last day in Dresden, my friend and I went hiking at Koenigstein Fortress, located in a national park. In German, it’s called Festung Königstein. There is a fortress and castle situated on a flat-topped hill, making it the largest fortress in Europe. The hilltop is shaped like a table, with more than 50 buildings on top. Some of these buildings are over 400 years old.

 

To get there, visitors must walk and do a bit of climbing, so everyone parks their car in a terraced parking lot. It was a bit exhausting to reach the fortress, especially with the cold weather, despite the sun being out. Some people used walking sticks to help them reach the top. Visitors enter the Koenigstein Fortress through a wide gate with thick wooden doors and a small bridge connecting to the gate.

 

The castle was built by King Wenceslas I of the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1233. Inside, there are military barracks, wine storage, a place of worship, and a museum. Some corners still have cannons. In the center of the area, there is a well that’s 152.5 meters deep. Visitors are shown how water was drawn from the deepest well in Saxony, the second-deepest in Europe. In the past, horses were used to pull the bucket filled with water to the surface.

 

After serving as a military fortress and barracks, Koenigstein Fortress became a prison during World War I, holding many political prisoners. It was later used as a military hospital during World War II. After the war, Koenigstein Fortress became an open-air museum and was equipped with a restaurant, as it takes a full day to visit.

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At the top of the fortress, the view is even more stunning. The cities below are clearly visible, nestled in valleys or surrounded by hills, making them look beautiful. The Elbe River winds through the landscape beside the Koenigstein Fortress.

 

Although I was a bit tired after exploring Koenigstein Fortress, we continued hiking in a different location called Bastei. Bastei is a rocky mountain range at 194 meters above the Elbe River, near Rathen, not far from Pirna and the town of Wehlen.

 

The rocky mountains rise beautifully, resembling the Grand Canyon in the United States, though on a smaller scale. Exploring and enjoying the stone forest is easy because there’s a bridge that connects the formations, but it can be exhausting with the ups and downs.

gettyimages.com

 

The beauty of the stone forest and the sunset, which comes earlier, made up for the tiredness from hiking at Bastei in the Sächsische Schweiz National Park.

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