Travel in style: Dresden State Art Collections

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

The administrative center of Saxony - the city of Dresden, is a historical and cultural monument in the open air. The richest collections of paintings and sculptures, which are exhibited for public study in ancient buildings, attract the attention of tourists from all over the world. Therefore, many seek to visit the ancient city.

15 Dresden state art collections form a single museum space, preserving the culture and memory of the past.

A bit of history

In 1560, the Kunstkamera was founded in Dresden, where treasures belonging to the ancient princely family of the Wettins were kept.

In 1723, the Polish king, and part-time elector of Saxony, August the Strong, divided the existing collection into 9 thematic departments, and also ordered a new building to be attached. By order of Augustus the Strong, part of the collection was opened to visitors who could admire the luxurious exhibits.

DuringDuring the Second World War, museum collections were kept in the fortress of Königstein, so they were not destroyed during the numerous bombings of Dresden. The government of the USSR in 1958 returned them to the new state - the GDR.

Museums and buildings

All state art collections of Dresden are located in unique old buildings, which in themselves are of historical and artistic value.

Among them is the Residence of the Kings, a palace or a castle - one of the oldest buildings in Saxony, dating back to the beginning of the 13th century. Now you can see the treasury and its interiors in the Historical Green Vaults, rooms for numismatics and engravings, the Armory and the Turkish Chambers, the library.

Zwinger is a former greenhouse, which was located next to the fortress wall, which is why it became known as the zwinger, that is, the fortress. The complex is made in the Baroque style, it is surrounded by gardens, decorated with sculptural groups, pavilions and fountains attract attention in the park. It contains:

• the world-famous Dresden Art Gallery (another name is the Gallery of Old Masters);
• collection of sculptures;
• porcelain;
• physics and mathematics salon;
• Museum of Geology.

The Neo-Renaissance Albertinum building is named after King Albert (ruled Saxony at the end of the 19th century). It houses an art gallery of new masters and a collection of sculptural works.

Finally, the country residence of Pilnitz, it consists of 3 palaces - New, Upland and Water, the steps of which descendto the waters of the Elbe. The buildings were erected in the style of classicism, they are surrounded by an English park. Pilnica houses the Castle Museum and the Museum of Applied Arts.

The State Art Collections of Dresden also include the Museum of Saxon Folk Art and the puppet theater collection, the Museum of Ethnology in the Japanese Palace.

Working hours

Museums of the residence palace work on individual schedules from 10 am to 6 pm:

• Turkish and Armoury, Engraving Office closed on Tuesday.
• The numismatic office is closed on Thursday.
• New and Historic Green Vaults and art gallery Tuesday weekend.

Zwinger museums open from 10 am to 6 pm, Monday is a day off. Children under 17 years old are admitted free of charge, for the rest the ticket will cost 10 euros.

Albertinum is closed on Monday, and on other days - from 10 am to 6 pm.

The State Art Museums of Dresden work on different schedules, this must be taken into account when compiling the excursion program.

Most noteworthy

Museums store amazing things, it will take more than one day to carefully study all the exhibits. But in every Dresden State Art Collection there is certainly something special, and if you do not pay attention to this, then the museum trip can be considered not taken place.

The green vaults of the Palace amaze the imagination with exquisite jewelry, glitter of gold and precious stones. There are over 1,000 items in the collection.items, among them:

• white and green diamonds weighing 48 and 41 carats;
• jewelry sets owned by roy alty;
• amber cabinet;
• coffee service in gold, ivory and 5,600 diamonds;
• table composition "Palace Reception", consisting of 137 miniature figures.

The historic interior of the Green Vaults of the Residence contains 3,000 items, but it is also interesting as a vivid example of Renaissance architecture.

In the Armory - swords and swords, images of tournaments and historical costumes, in the Turkish Chamber - more than 600 items demonstrate the achievements of Ottoman art.

The Engraving Room surprises with one of the world's largest collections of prints, photographs, drawings collected over 800 years - a total of half a million creations, including works by Michelangelo and Durer, Rembrandt and Picasso.

Collection of the Numismatic Cabinet - 300 thousand orders, coins, awards.

The art museums of Dresden, including the Dresden Art Gallery, keep such rarities as the Sistine Madonna, paintings by Rubens, Vermeer, Titian.

A collection of globes, including a 13th-century Iranian globe, as well as optics and astronomical instruments, are displayed in the Zwinger.

You can admire the finest Meissen porcelain and the works of Chinese and Japanese masters in the Porcelain Museum.

Conclusion

The museums of Dresden are not in vain included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. These are magnificent architectural examples.and unique collections of cultural heritage.