Dinglingerbrunnen

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Dinglingerbrunnen by Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann, 1718
(restored by Werner Hepel in 1966)
Gewandhausstraße
Leipzig, September 2024

“The Dinglinger Fountain is a listed Baroque fountain in Dresden. It is considered the oldest surviving court fountain in the Saxon capital. It is named after Johann Melchior Dinglinger, court jeweler and goldsmith to Augustus the Strong, who had it constructed for himself. The Dinglinger Fountain is located at the northern end of the west façade of the New Gewandhaus, now the Gewandhaus Hotel, in Dresden's inner old town. It stands along a footpath and is attached directly to the building's outer wall, framing a barred window. The entire work is made of Elbe sandstone. The fountain basin rests on a double-tailed, fish-like creature. Just above this basin, an open shell, flanked by two putti with cornucopias, forms a smaller basin. Embedded in the upright shell is a head – Jochen Hänsch explains it as the head of Triton, Stefan Hertzig writes only of a ‘male mask’. Around the fountain basin rises a portal-like frame, also around a window in its original location. On each side there is a pilaster, from whose console a putti grows. Above this are volutes with dolphins. The keystone shows the head of Bacchus. Above this lies a double-open shell with a gilded pearl, framed by four putti.” (Dinglingerbrunnen, Wikipedia)

On a drunken donkey

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“Bacchus auf einem trunkenen Esel reitend” (Bacchus riding on a drunken donkey) by Georg Wrba, 1910
(The original statue of 1952 was cast iron)
Rathausplatz
Dresden, September 2024

“Georg Wrba (3 January 1872 – 9 January 1939) was a German sculptor and graphic artist. He created some 3,000–4,000 works, including as a collaborator of the Zwinger workshop. Wrba was born in Munich in 1872, the son of a smith. His younger brother Max Wrba became an architect in Dresden. Wrba began his training with Jakob Bradl the Elder and his son Jakob Bradl the Younger. From 1891 to 1896, he studied at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste München under Syrius Eberle. After some time spent in Italy (with Egon Rheinberger), a trip made possible by a travel award from Prince Regent Luitpold, he settled in Munich as an independent sculptor in 1897 and became director of the city's school of sculpture. In 1906 and 1907, he worked in Berlin, where he created sculptures for buildings for the architects Ludwig Hoffmann and Alfred Messel. Wrba then moved to Dresden, where from 1907 to 1930 he taught at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts. He brought the Dresden school of sculpture into contact with the reforming ideas of the Deutscher Werkbund and was a founding member of the Dresden Artists' Association, known as ‘Die Zunft’ (The Guild). The basic aim of the ‘Werkbund’, and also of ‘Die Zunft’, was to achieve a collaboration between and integration of various forms of art, rejecting ornamentation for its own sake: painting and sculpture were to form integral parts of architecture. In Dresden he made, among many other works, the Marie Gey Fountain near the Dresden Hauptbahnhof in the Südvorstadt, which was donated by a Dr. Heinze for his wife, a student at the Kunstakademie, who had died young. In 1910 Wrba agreed a contract for the restoration and completion of the missing parts of the Zwinger, for which he directed the work of 53 sculptors from 1911 to 1933, and himself created many groups of figures modelled from the life. Wrba died on 9 January 1939 in Dresden, where a street is named after him. He is buried in the Munich Waldfriedhof.” (Georg Wrba, Wikipedia)

Trümmerfrau

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Trümmerfrau (Rubble woman) by Walter Reinhold, 1968
(The original statue of 1952 was cast iron)
Rathausplatz
Dresden, September 2024

“Trümmerfrauen (lit. rubble women) were women who, in the aftermath of World War II, helped clear and reconstruct the bombed cities of Germany and Austria. Hundreds of cities had suffered significant bombing and firestorm damage through aerial attacks and ground war, and with many men dead or prisoners of war, this monumental task fell to a large degree on women. 3.6 million out of the sixteen million homes in 62 cities in Germany were destroyed during Allied bombings in World War II, with another four million damaged. Half of all school buildings, forty percent of the infrastructure, and many factories were either damaged or destroyed. According to estimates, there were about 500 million cubic metres of rubble (a volume of over 150 Great Pyramids of Giza) and 7.5 million people were made homeless.” (Trümmerfrau, Wikipedia)

Friedensbrunnen

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Friedensbrunnen (Peace Fountain) by Johann Friedrich Steger, 1616
Jüdenhof
Dresden, September 2024

“The Friedensbrunnen (Peace Fountain) or Türkenbrunnen (Turkish Fountain) is located in Dresden's old town and is one of the oldest fountains in the city. The fountain stands in the Jüdenhof, west of the Neumarkt in front of the entrance to the Johanneum, which houses the Dresden Transport Museum. The sandstone fountain consists of an octagonal fountain basin with a floor plan of 4.5 by 4.5 meters. The eight sides of the basin are decorated with three eight-pointed rosettes. The basin is surrounded by a granite walkway. The fountain is 1.4 meters deep. In the center of the pool stands an octagonal column with a square pedestal, on which stands a water-spouting mask. The column's sides are decorated with oval, slightly arched reliefs bearing Latin inscriptions. On the pedestal stands a sculpture of the war goddess Bellona. At the back of the fountain basin there is an outlet pipe and below it a flat, round depression in the granite riser for the water to drain away.” (Friedensbrunnen, Wikipedia)

Johanneum

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Johanneum (Dresden Transport Museum)
Jüdenhof
Dresden, September 2024

“The Johanneum is a Renaissance building, originally desingated as Stallgebäude mit Harnischkammer because it was constructed as the elite part of the electoral mews. It was the first museum of modern times built in 1586-1588 and is located at the Neumarkt in Dresden. Today the Johanneum is home to the Dresden Transport Museum (Verkehrsmuseum Dresden), which displays vehicles of all modes of transport and their history. The Johanneum was built between 1586 and 1590 as Stallgebäude mit Harnischkammer, the elite stables of the adjacent Dresden Castle. The two halls on the building's ground floor provided space for 128 expensive riding-art horses imported in part from Italy. The stands for the horses were decorated with spectacular horse-paintings, modeled after the Sala dei cavalli in Mantua's Palazzo Té. In the stable, that was designed as a princely exhibition of elite horses, 35 rooms were lavishly decorated to contain horse and rider figurines, elaborate sleighs as well as an expensive arms collection of the Saxon Electors. Later also stuffed horses, a stuffed bear and wax figurines of the electors were exhibited. One of the exhibited horses, the Merseburger, became famous for its 8 m long mane.” (Johanneum, Wikipedia)

Erich-Kästner-Denkmal

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Erich-Kästner-Denkmal (Erich Kästner Memorial) by Wolf-Eike Kuntsche, 1987
Albertplatz
Dresden, September 2024

“This memorial is dedicated to the Dresden writer Erich Kästner. A collage of the things that characterized him, it is intended to bring the viewer closer to the man behind the nationally renowned author. Several of his books are stacked in a tower, with Kästner's hat on top. Surrounding the tower are writing utensils, a teacup, a copy of the Neue Zeitung newspaper, founded by Kästner in Munich in 1945, and an open book with the author's biographical details and the motto "There is nothing good unless you do it." A biographical and literary connection to the site is created by a block bearing the words "And I myself, whatever I became, always remained one, a child of Königsbrücker Straße" (1977) and a framed childhood picture as a reference to Kästner's Dresden childhood, which he documented in "When I was a little boy" (1957). The sculpture was created in 1987, before the establishment of the Kästner Museum (1999), and can be considered the first memorial to Erich Kästner in Dresden.” (Erich-Kästner-Denkmal, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden)

Artesischer Brunnen

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Artesischer Brunnen (Artesian well) by Hans Erlwein, 1906 Albertplatz
Dresden, September 2024

“The artesian well at Dresden's Albertplatz is a spatially separated fountain ensemble consisting of a well house, a drinking fountain, and a fountain with a water basin. The artesian well was drilled northwest of Albertplatz by Freiberg miners between 1832 and 1836 to supply Dresden's Neustadt district with clean water. The water from the 243.25-meter-deep well emerges through natural pressure and flowed year-round until June 21, 2023. Due to the small amount of water, the well was never able to fulfill its original purpose.” (Artesischer Brunnen, Wikipedia)

Schillerdenkmal

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Schillerdenkmal (Schiller Monument) by Selmar Werner, 1914
Hauptstraße
Dresden, September 2024

“Dresden 's Schiller Monument stands southwest of Albertplatz, between the beginning of Hauptstraße and Königstraße in the Innere Neustadt district. It is a work by Selmar Werner, with architecture by Oswin Hempel. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Friedrich Schiller's death, a committee was founded in 1905 to erect a Schiller monument in Dresden. While the city of Dresden agreed to provide the site — an open space south of Albertplatz — free of charge, collecting private donations for the estimated construction costs of 30,000 marks proved considerably more difficult. In 1908, the sum had not yet been raised, and an artistic competition was held, but the results could not be implemented. It wasn't until 1913, also as part of the sculptural and artistic reform efforts in Dresden, that Selmar Werner was recruited. Werner came from the school of Robert Diez , who in turn had already created numerous works of art in Dresden, such as the twin fountains ‘Stille Wasser’ and ‘Stürmische Wogen’ on Albertplatz, as well as the ‘Gänsethiebbrunnen’ (Goose Thief Fountain). Werner's concept—which was realized—envisioned Schiller with faithfully portrayed features as a purely spiritual, ideal poetic figure, dressed in Greek costume and surrounded by his most important works.” (Schillerdenkmal, Wikipedia)

Gänsediebbrunnen

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Gänsediebbrunnen (Goose Thief Fountain) by Robert Diez, 1878
Weißen Gasse
Dresden, September 2024

“The Goose Thief Fountain is a fountain in the Weiße Gasse in the inner old town of Dresden. It consists of a bronze figure on a stone base in a water basin. The bronze figure was created as a statue by Robert Diez in 1878. The architects Paul Weidner and Giese collaborated on the design of the fountain parts, which are made of Lusatian granite . The bronze casting is the work of the Dresden foundry C. Albert Bierling . It depicts a young man stealing two geese. This sculpture shows Thomas Platter (1499–1582), later a printer and rector of the Latin school in Basel, stealing two geese. In 1512, while on his travels as a traveling student, Platter visited the Kreuzschule in Dresden. He stole two geese for his farewell dinner with the schoolmaster. On the base above a collecting basin supported by four pillars are two more geese and two florally decorated volutes.” (Gänsediebbrunnen, Wikipedia)

Alter Bock auf Säule

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“Alter Bock auf Säule” (Old goat on a pillar) by Peter Fritzsche, 1988
Hauptstraße, Neustadt
Dresden, September 2024

“It's wonderful how the old goat peers down suspiciously from its column... Peter Fritzsche created this sculpture in 1988. On the column's shaft, you can see – very small – scenes from the lives of lovers, married couples, and other couples. The Old Bock stands on Dresden's main street, not far from Albertplatz.” (Funny bronze sculptures in Dresden, Das schöne Detail)

Joseph Fröhlich

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Hofnarr Joseph Fröhlich (Royal jester Joseph Fröhlich) by Heinrich Apel, 1978
Neustädter Markt (Am Narrenhäusel)
Dresden, September 2024

“Joseph Fröhlich (18 February 1694 in Altaussee , Duchy of Styria; 24 June 1757 in Marienmont near Warsaw, Kingdom of Poland) was the court jester of Augustus the Strong. Fröhlich was born the son of a traveling merchant and the granddaughter of a mill owner in Altaussee (Scheichlmühle) in Styria, Austria. His father died before Joseph was born, so the child grew up in his grandfather's mill and initially learned the milling trade. While on his travels, he learned his first tricks of sleight of hand. In 1719 he married Ursula Lainbach, who bore him two sons and a daughter.” (Joseph Fröhlich, Wikipedia)

Boy on a turkey

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“Boy on a turkey” by Georg Wrba, 1913
Italienisches Dörfchen
Theaterplatz
Dresden, September 2024

“The Italienisches Dörfchen (Italian Village) is a restaurant in Dresden. It is located on Theaterplatz, near the Hofkirche (Court Church), the Zwinger Palace, and the Semper Opera House, in the historic part of the city center. The name refers to earlier buildings on this site. When the Italian architect Gaetano Chiaveri built the Catholic Court Church, Chiaveri's craftsmen and artists, who presumably also came from Italy, lived in numerous small houses near the construction site on the steep left bank of the Elbe bend. This followed the principle of the cathedral construction lodges, which were established in the Middle Ages during the construction and later for the maintenance of great cathedrals. Dresden's locals soon dubbed the houses the ‘Italian Village.’ The settlement, with the exception of a few inns, was demolished to build the new Royal Court Theater, the first Semper Opera House.” (Italienisches Dörfchen, Wikipedia)

Café Apotheke

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Café Apotheke
Taschenberg
Dresden, September 2024

“Our antique furniture dates back to the founding period of 1771 and can look back on an exciting history. Shortly after its completion, it was installed in the Leipzig district of Gohlis and put into operation as a pharmacy – although it was considerably larger back then than it is today. The precious interior survived the Second World War almost entirely unscathed and was brought to the Hanseatic city by a Hamburg businessman in the postwar period. There, the pharmacy on Eppendorfer Straße was a well-known and popular destination for those seeking healing for over 50 years. In 2004, however, extensive renovations were underway on Eppendorfer Straße, and the pharmacy was put up for sale. Hamburg coffee king Albert Darboven acquired the historic gem through an antiques dealer to install it in his showroom on Pinkertweg in Hamburg. This was no surprise, as the health-promoting effects of coffee and chocolate have been valued for centuries. These soothing beverages were also sold as medicines in pharmacies for a long time.” (History, Café Apotheke)

Kronentor

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Kronentor (Crown Gate)
Ostra-Allee
Dresden, September 2024

“The Kronentor is a pavilion and, alongside the Wallpavillon, the most well-known part of the Dresden Zwinger and is often depicted as the symbol. With its long galleries on either side, its frontage rests on the old fortress wall; however, the gate and galleries form a slight angle to it. The Crown Gate originally provided access from outside the city through the fortress wall via the Wallgraben Bridge. Therefore, there was no stone bridge over the Zwinger Moat to the Crown Gate, commensurate with the structure's importance, but only a narrow wooden footbridge, which would have been quickly dismantled in the event of an attack. It was rebuilt in this form when the Zwinger Moat was exposed and expanded in the 20th century.” (Kronentor, Wikipedia)

Quartier I

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Quartier I
Neumarkt
Dresden, September 2024

“The first quarter (‘Quartier an der Frauenkirche’, for many years ‘Quartier QF’, after numbering then ‘Quartier I’), built in 2005/2006 by the building cooperative Arturo Prisco, Kai von Döring, and Kondor Wessels, is bordered to the east by the square An der Frauenkirche and to the north by Töpferstraße. To the southwest, Augustusstraße runs at an acute angle to Töpferstraße. The southern facade of the buildings borders the Neumarkt. The area is actually composed of three parcels, and their facades suggest several buildings. The only landmark building in the quarter is Neumarkt 2, surrounded on the left by two buildings with facades based on historical models and one such building on the right. The neighboring building on the left, Neumarkt 1, is striking with its arched facade (formerly the ‘Hotel Stadt Berlin’) at the junction with Augustusstraße. The quarter is home to approximately 50 shops, restaurants, and bars, as well as numerous office spaces and 27 apartments. After the first buildings were completed, it was discovered that the drafted ‘design regulations’ had not been followed, as several concrete buildings with stone cladding were constructed without the required plaster facade. Two buildings, particularly directly opposite the Frauenkirche, which was rebuilt from sandstone, stand out because the facade of one building consists of about one-third glass, while the other consists of gray facing panels that protrude from the row of buildings. It should be noted, however, that although the ‘design regulations’ were completed in draft form in 2002, they never became legally binding. This was also known to the then Councillor for Construction, Gunter Just, who, as an architect, consistently ignored these legal concerns.” (Neumarkt, Wikipedia)

Frederick Augustus II of Saxony

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Frederick Augustus II of Saxony by Ernst Hähnel, 1867
Neumarkt
Dresden, September 2024

“In front of the Hôtel de Saxe there is another statue commemorating King Friedrich August II. It was created around 1867, based on designs by Ernst Hähnel.” (Neumarkt, Wikipedia)

Frederick Augustus I of Saxony

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Frederick Augustus I of Saxony by Ernst Rietschel, 1835
Schloßplatz
Dresden, September 2024

“Since May 29, 2008, a sculpture by Ernst Rietschel depicting King Frederick Augustus I, ‘the Just,’ in a seated position has stood on the site of the Albert Monument. Cast in the Lauchhammer art and bell foundry, the monument was erected and consecrated in the Zwinger in 1843. In 1929 it was moved to the Japanese Palace and, thanks to the efforts of the city, the Saxon Academy of Arts, and private sponsors, was moved to a new location in front of the Ständehaus on Schloßplatz in 2008. At the consecration on May 29, 2008, the dedicatory hymn that Richard Wagner composed for the unveiling of the monument in 1843 was sung.” (Schloßplatz, Wikipedia)

Georgsbrunnen

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Georgsbrunnen (George Fountain) by Artur Volkmann, 1904
Dresdner Residenzschloss
Dresden, September 2024

“The Georgsbrunnen is a fountain created in 1904 by Artur Volkmann in the small courtyard of the Dresden Residence Palace. Leipzig-born Artur Volkmann created the fountain in 1904 in his Rome workshop in memory of King George of Saxony, who died that same year. The commission was the Royal Saxon Ministry of the Interior. The design, exhibited at the Leipzig Art Association, had previously been unanimously recommended for execution by the academic council. The fountain was paid for with funds from the Saxon government's fund for art purposes. The fountain is located between two windows on the south side of the small courtyard of Dresden's Royal Palace. Damaged during the palace's destruction in World War II, it was reopened to the public during the palace's restoration in 2009.” (Georgsbrunnen, Wikipedia)

Dresdner Residenzschloss

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Dresdner Residenzschloss (Dresden Castle)
Taschenberg
Dresden, September 2024

“Dresden Castle or Royal Palace (German: Dresdner Residenzschloss or Dresdner Schloss) is one of the oldest buildings in Dresden, Germany. For almost 400 years, it was the residence of the electors (1547–1806) and kings (1806–1918) of Saxony from the Albertine House of Wettin as well as Kings of Poland (1697–1763). It is known for the different architectural styles employed, from Baroque to Neo-Renaissance. Today, the residential castle is a museum complex that contains the Historic and New Green Vault, the Numismatic Cabinet, the Collection of Prints, Drawings and Photographs and the Dresden Armory with the Turkish Chamber. It also houses an art library and the management of the Dresden State Art Collections.” (Dresden Castle, Wikipedia)

Frauenkirche

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Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady)
Neumarkt
Dresden, September 2024

“The Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) is a Lutheran church in Dresden, the capital of the German state of Saxony. Destroyed during the Allied firebombing of Dresden towards the end of World War II, the church was reconstructed between 1994 and 2005. The current structure is the third church building to stand at this site. The earliest was founded as a Catholic church before being converted to Protestantism during the Reformation. It was replaced in the 18th century by a larger Baroque purpose-built Lutheran building. When its foundation stone was laid on 26 August 1726, it contained a copy of the Augsburg Confession which is primary confession of faith of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Considered an outstanding example of Protestant sacred architecture, it featured one of the largest domes in Europe. It was originally built as a sign of the will of the citizens of Dresden to remain Protestant after their ruler had converted to Catholicism. Having been reconstructed, it now also serves as a symbol of reconciliation between former warring enemies. After the destruction of the church in 1945, the remaining ruins were left for nearly half a century as a war memorial, following decisions of local East German leaders. Following the reunification of Germany, it was decided to rebuild the church, starting in 1994. The reconstruction of its exterior was completed in 2004, and the interior the following year. The church was reconsecrated on 30 October 2005 with festive services lasting through the Protestant observance of Reformation Day on 31 October. The surrounding Neumarkt square with its many valuable baroque buildings was also reconstructed in 2004.” (Frauenkirche, Wikipedia)