Aerial view of the Zwinger Palace

The Zwinger Palace in Dresden, is a major German landmark. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Dresden (Sorbian: Drježdźany; etymologically from Old Sorbian Drežďany, meaning people of the riverside forest) is the capital city of the German Federal State of Saxony and situated in a valley on the River Elbe. ... Motto: Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit (German: Unity and Justice and Freedom”) Anthem: Das Lied der Deutschen (3rd stanza) also called Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit Capital Berlin Largest city Berlin Official language(s) German 1 Government Federal Republic  - President Horst Köhler (CDU)  - Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU)  - Vice Chancellor...

The name derives from the German word bezwingen (to conquer). The location was formerly part of the Dresden fortress, comprising an inner and outer wall. In the space between them a possible invader was meant to be conquered by gun fire if he had successfully taken the outer wall.

History

Augustus the Strong, elector of Saxony, returned from a grand tour through France and Italy in 1687–89, just at the moment that Louis XIV moved his court to Versailles. On his return to Dresden, having arranged his election as King of Poland (1697), he wanted something similarly spectacular for himself. The fortifications were no longer needed and provided readily available space for his plans. The original plans, as developed by his court architect Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann before 1711, covered the space of the present complex of palace and garden, and also included as gardens the space down to the Elbe River, upon which the Semper opera house and its square were built in the nineteenth century. Reign From 1697, until 1706 and from 1709, until February 1, 1733 Elected In 1697 in Wola, today suburb of Warsaw, Poland Coronation On September 15, 1697 in the Wawel Cathedral, Kraków, Poland Royal House Wettin Parents John George III Wettin Anne Sophie Consorts  ? Children August III Sas Maurice... The interior of the Pantheon in the 18th century, painted by Giovanni Paolo Panini In the 18th century, the Grand Tour was a kind of education for wealthy British noblemen, wherein the primary educational value was exposure to the cultured artifacts of antiquity and the Renaissance as well as the... Louis XIV King of France and Navarre By Hyacinthe Rigaud (1701) Louis XIV (Louis-Dieudonné) (September 5, 1638–September 1, 1715) reigned as King of France and King of Navarre from May 14, 1643 until his death. ... Versailles: Louis Le Vau opened up the interior court to create the expansive entrance cour dhonneur, later copied all over Europe Monument of Louis XIV in the cour dhonneur The Château de Versailles —or simply Versailles— is a royal château, in Versailles, France. ... Poland was ruled by dukes (c. ... Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann (May 3, 1662, Herford - January 17, 1737, Dresden) was a German master builder who helped to rebuild Dresden after the fire of 1685, and designed Dresden Castle and the Pillnitz church. ... The Elbe River (Czech Labe, Sorbian/Lusatian Łobjo, Polish Łaba, German Elbe) is one of the major waterways of central Europe. ... Semper Oper in Dresden The Semper Oper (German: Semperoper) or Saxon State Opera Dresden (Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden) is an opera house in Dresden, Germany, and is one of the most famous in the world. ...

The Zwinger was designed by Pöppelmann and constructed in stages from 1710 to 1728. Sculpture was provided by Balthasar Permoser. The Zwinger was formally inaugurated in 1719, on the occasion of the electoral prince Frederick August’s marriage to the daughter of the Hapsburg emperor, the Archduchess Maria Josepha. At the time, the outer shells of the buildings had already been erected and, with their pavilions and arcaded galleries, formed a striking backdrop to the event. It was not until the completion of their interiors in 1728, however, that they could serve their intended functions as exhibition galleries and library halls. Bathasar Permoser (born in Kammer, near Trauenstein in the Chiemgau, Bavaria on 13 August 1651–died in Dresden on 18 February 1732) was among the leading German sculptors of his generation[1], whose evolving working styles spanned the late Baroque and early Rococo. ... Reign 1734 – October 5, 1763. ... Archduchess Maria Josefa of Austria, Queen of Poland. ...

Semper's gallery facing the opera square, with the Semperoper at right, ca 1900

The death of Augustus in 1733 put a halt to the construction because the funds were needed elsewhere. The palace area was left open towards the Semperoper square and the river. Later the plans were changed to a smaller scale, and in 1847–1855 the area was closed by the construction of the gallery wing now separating the Zwinger from the opera place; the architect was Gottfried Semper, who designed the opera. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (3552x2634, 1312 KB) Description Modifications modified colours: red 95%, green 105%, blue 105% Original image Photochrom print (color photo lithograph) Created between 1890 and 1905 Source Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Photochrom Prints Collection, reproduction number LC-DIG-ppmsca... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (3552x2634, 1312 KB) Description Modifications modified colours: red 95%, green 105%, blue 105% Original image Photochrom print (color photo lithograph) Created between 1890 and 1905 Source Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Photochrom Prints Collection, reproduction number LC-DIG-ppmsca... Semper Oper in Dresden The Semper Oper (German: Semperoper) or Saxon State Opera Dresden (Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden) is an opera house in Dresden, Germany, and is one of the most famous in the world. ... Gottfried Semper Gottfried Semper (1803-1879) was a German architect, art critic, and professor of architecture, who designed and built the Semper Oper in Dresden between 1838 and 1841. ...

The building was mostly destroyed by the carpet bombing raids of February 13-15, 1945. The art collection had been evacuated before, though. After the war, in a referendum, the people of Dresden voted to restore the building and generally preferred to rebuild the glories of the city, instead of having the ruins bulldozed to make way for the architecture of socialist realism then prevalent in the German Democratic Republic. The bombing of Dresden led by the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and involving the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) between February 13 and February 15, 1945 remains one of the more controversial Allied actions of World War II. Historian Frederick Taylor says: The destruction of Dresden has an... February 13 is the 44th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1945 (MCMVL) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... Roses for Stalin, Boris Vladimirski, 1949 Socialist realism is a teleologically-oriented style of realistic art which has as its purpose the furtherance of the goals of socialism and communism. ... This article is about the historical state. ...

Museum

Albeit somewhat small, the Zwinger's Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Picture Gallery) became a star attraction in Dresden's rich cultural heritage. It now houses collections of fine art and scientific treasures. There is a collection of old masters, with paintings of Rubens, Canaletto, Raphael and many others. The Rüstkammer (Armory) houses a fine collection of weapons and armor, mostly dating from the 16th and 17th century. Also there is a collection of Meissen porcelain and clocks and scientific instruments. The building also holds the Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon. KITTY CAT! Aerial view of the the Museum at Zwinger Palace The Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Picture Gallery) is an art gallery locate in the Zwinger Palace and Semper Building in Dresden, Germany. ... Rubens and Isabella Brant in the Honeysuckle Bower Alte Pinakothek Pieter Pauwel (Peter Paul) Rubens (June 28, 1577 – May 30, 1640) was the most popular and prolific Flemish and European painter of the 17th century. ... The Stonemasons Yard, painted 1726-30. ... Self-portrait by Raphael. ... The Meißen porcelain is the first European porcelain. ...

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Dresdner Zwinger

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References

• Capsule history