Dresden celebrates its 800th anniversary

Saxon capital Dresden is again one of the most popular destination in Germany and is already among the top 30 cities in Europe in terms of accommodation capacity - on a par with cities like Venice or Nice, according to data released by European Cities Tourism. Dresden is an important cultural magnet, especially as old historic buildings, destroyed during the Second World War, have come back to life one after the other.

On 30 October 2005, the baroque-style Frauenkirche was re-consecrated after eleven years of rebuilding. The highly celebrated reconstruction has helped boost visitor numbers to the city - up by 9% last year to 1.3 million.

As the city is this year celebrating its 800 anniversary, more monuments have been returned to their former glory. The Baroque Landhaus will complete its renovation and reopen as the Dresden City Museum next September. In July, a Jubilee Week will turn the whole city into a lively stage - one of the jubilee highlights. With the opening on 15 September of the historical green vault of the Dresden Royal Palace, visitors will be able to admire over 3,000 pieces of exquisite jewellery, treasures in amber and ivory and vessels studded with precious stones.

“They will all be presented in a unique setting,” said Karla Kallauch, speaking on behalf of the Dresden '800 years' Committee. Some 400 special events are planned all through the year. “One of the most interesting events will be the 'Hochhaussymphonie', an open-air event at which Dresden's famous Prague Street will be transformed into a lively movie and music scene with special lighting”. The Dresdner Symphonic Orchestra will play the music of the British band Pet Shop Boys during the projection of the7 movie Potemkin,” added Kallauch.

Among other architectural projects, the Neumarkt square will once again have its historic layout, partially with old reconstructed facades. The Steigenberger hotel group will also reopen the historic Hotel de Saxe in April 2006 (185 rooms) - after a break of 117 years. In May, the 328-room Maritim Hotel will open, as well as a new convention centre.

In total, Dresden will see the addition of 581 rooms with 1,000 beds, boosting total accommodation in the city this spring to more than 16,000 beds. Modern architecture will also be present in the regional capital with the redesigned main Dresden railway station by the British star architect Sir Norman Forster and the re-opening of the Military History Museum by the German architects Daniel Libeskind and Hans-Günter Merz. More information about Dresden jubilee can be found under www.dresden.de/800.