Dresden, located in the east of Germany, is also called “Florence at the Elbe” thanks to its idyllic location on the banks of the river. Most of the city’s well-known historic landmarks are located in the Altstadt. Although 80 percent of Dresden’s historic center was destroyed in World War II, important landmarks have been rebuilt to their former splendor. The baroque Zwinger Palace boasts a picturesque courtyard, often filled with camera happy tourists. It was destroyed by the Allied raids, but restored in the 1960s. Dresden is truly a city of magnificent resurgence and exploring it by foot is the perfect way to get in touch with so many different aspects of the old, the new and the restored.

credit: donald judge

The Bundeswehr Military History Museum in Dresden is one of Europe\’s most important history museums. The redesigned Dresden Museum of Military History is now the official central museum of the German Armed Forces. It will house an exhibition area of roughly 21,000 square feet, making it Germany’s largest museum. It is located in a former military arsenal in the Albertstadt neighborhood of Dresden. The museum includes the original Brandtaucher, the first German submarine, built in Kiel in 1850.

credit: Clemens Vasters