Dresden Cathedral

Dresden, Germany

Dresden Cathedral (Hofkirche) stands as one of Dresden's foremost landmarks. It was designed by architect Gaetano Chiaveri from 1738 to 1751. The church was commissioned by Augustus III, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland while the Protestant city of Dresden built the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) between 1726 and 1743. The Catholic Elector decided that a Catholic church was needed in order to counterbalance the Protestant Frauenkirche.

In the crypt the heart of King Augustus the Strong is buried along with the last King of Saxony and the remains of 49 other members of the Wettin family, as well as the remains of people who married into the family, such as Princess Maria Carolina of Savoy, wife of Anthony of Saxony.

The church was badly damaged during the bombing of Dresden of the Second World War and was restored during the mid-1980s by the East German government. Today it is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dresden-Meissen.

The cathedral features a carefully restored organ, the last work of the renowned organ builder Gottfried Silbermann. It also contains a Rococo pulpit by Balthasar Permoser.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 1738-1751
Category: Religious sites in Germany
Historical period: Thirty Years War & Rise of Prussia (Germany)

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Euan Tait Retreats Libretti (7 months ago)
This great Baroque masterpiece among the city's great architecture - including the thrill of the figurative sculptures looking on the world passing.
Simon Holderried (10 months ago)
One of biggest , most important late works of baroque architecture and a wonderful neighbor of the Frauenkirche. Not fully finished with interior in the 1750s but yet impressive.
Jiboo piu (2 years ago)
Very beautiful. It's a Catholic Church that gives Lutheran vibes. The architecture is baroque and a few monuments look almost "communist" or somehow very spartan. Definitely worth visiting
Alejandro Montiel (2 years ago)
This Catholic Cathedral was completed in 1751. It is the most important Catholic cathedral in the city. It was badly damaged during the Second World War but it was restored in the 1960's. If you walk from the Main Station you will reach it in 15-20 minutes.
Kendall Byrge (2 years ago)
Truly a spectacular building and area. Personally, my favorite view is from the front of the Zwinger and looking over.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Linderhof Palace

Linderhof is the smallest of the three palaces built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria and the only one which he lived to see completed.

Ludwig II, who was crowned king in 1864, began his building activities in 1867-1868 by redesigning his rooms in the Munich Residenz and laying the foundation stone of Neuschwanstein Castle. In 1868 he was already making his first plans for Linderhof. However, neither the palace modelled on Versailles that was to be sited on the floor of the valley nor the large Byzantine palace envisaged by Ludwig II were ever built.

Instead, the new building developed around the forester's house belonging to his father Maximilian II, which was located in the open space in front of the present palace and was used by the king when crown prince on hunting expeditions with his father.