Tuesday 27 May 2014

up coming trip Munich, Salzburg and Dresden-Meissen

So we are counting the days for our annual trip to Europe. Yesterday I was looking at YouTube for clips on Dresden, the last time we were there was 14 years ago. Since 1989 the City which is the Capital of Saxony was in Eastern Germany and the Communists did little in terms of re-building, meaning that the city was left pretty much as it was after the fire-bombing by the British in February 1945.
The Zwinger Palace in Dresden, built 1719.  


The Dresden Semper Opera House, built in 1838 by Gottfried Semper


Dresden's 18th century panorama is well known because of the paintings of Canaletto. I am looking forward to our visit this year to see what has been completed and how the museums have been re-organised. The Zwinger Palace was still under renovation and closed in 1999, now it is re-open and has wonderful collections, the Residence Palace is also now completely re-built and it too has beautiful art work and many curiosities like the gem collection of August the Strong.

What I am hoping to see is the Otto Dix exhibition which highlights his work from 1914-1932. I am currently working at the exhibit of the Canadian War Museum, entitled Transformations and we have an exhibit on him and his life work from 1905 to 1969. The art work comes from various museums in Germany and Liechtenstein, one work Der Krieg (the war) we only have a photo. It is an altar piece triptych and was made in the period between 1919-1932. It was recently restored and is in the Galerie Neue Meister of the Staatlichen Kunstsammlugen in the Albertinum in Dresden.

I hope to see more of his works so to enhance my knowledge of him and get a better appreciation for the exhibit we have here in Ottawa in commemoration of the start of the Great War.

In Dresden also we will visit the FrauenKirche (church of our Lady) built in 1726 by George Bähr, a Lutheran church where Martin Luther preached, it was destroyed in the fire bombing of Dresden in 1945. Through public subscription this church measuring 93 meters in height was rebuilt between 1994 and 2005.  This church had originally been built by the people of Dresden in response and in protest to the building of a Roman Catholic Cathedral by August II the Strong who had accepted the Crown of Poland and in doing so converted from Protestantism to Catholic Faith.  

 ruins of the Frauen Kirche 1980's

 FrauenKirche re-built 2006

FrauenKirche inside view today

No comments:

Post a Comment