I welcome you to the magnificent Zwinger Palace.
Of all the beautiful sites in Dresden, many people say this one is a must-see.
When you look at it, I think you understand why.
The name, "Zwinger", comes from the German word "bezwingen" which means "to conquer".
This might lead one to think that the palace was raised as a symbol of some military victories,
but this is not the case.
The founder of the palace was Frederick Augustus I, or "Augustus the Strong ", as he was called.
He has just returned from a two year journey through Italy and France, just at the moment
that the French King, Louis XIV, moved his court to the grand palace of Versailles.
When Augustus later was elected King of Poland in 1697, he wanted to celebrate this and something
to rival the French King's grand palace.
The result is what you see today; the Zwinger Palace.
When entering the courtyard, many people say it makes you feel like you've stumbled into
a movie set or traveled back in time some 200 years.
The architectural style of the palace is typical baroque and it is one of the finest examples
of late baroque architecture in Germany and in the whole world.
It is truly considered a masterpiece in its class.
The Zwinger Palace is built on the site of the former Dresden fortress.
The fact that the fortification was no longer needed at the time and its good location,
near the river Elbe, made it a suitable place for the new palace.
The palace was designed by the Dresden architect Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann and built between
the years 1710-1728.
It was officially inaugurated already in 1719, when the son of Augustus the Strong married
the daughter of the Habsburg emperor; the Archduchess Maria Josepha.
It was however not until the completion of the interiors in 1728 that the palace could
fully serve it purpose and arranges tournaments, hold exhibitions, house the library halls
and host extravagant festivities.
The square inside the palace is not called "Festplatz" without a reason.
The palace area was however left open towards the "Semperoper" and the river as a way to
leave a door open for future expansions of the Zwinger Palace.
Later the plans were changed to a smaller scale and between 1847--1855 the area was
closed by the construction of the gallery wing now separating the Zwinger from the opera
place.
This part is called the Semper wing, after the man who designed it, Gottfried Semper.
Not surprisingly, it was the same man who designed the Opera.
During the Second World War, most of the building was destroyed together with the rest of Dresden
during an Allied air raid.
One positive thing was that at least the art collection was saved, as it had been evacuated
before the bombs fell in 1945.
After the war, the people of Dresden voted to restore the building and bring it back
to its glorious days, instead of having the ruins razed to make way for a new kind of
architecture.
Today, the Zwinger Palace is visited by thousands of tourists who come to see the lovely gardens
with its numerous fountains, the plethora of sculptures and the amazing architecture
of the palace itself.
There is however more to the palace than just its wonderful outside.
I highly recommend that you also visit its inside buildings.
The palace is home to the excellent "Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister", meaning "the Old Masters Picture
Gallery".
It contains paintings of Rubens, Canaletto, Raphael and many others.
Inside the palace you can also find the "Rüstkammer", the Armory, with a fine collection of weapons
and armor, mostly dating
from the 16th and 17th century.
The palace also holds a collection of Meissen porcelain, rare clocks and other rare scientific
instruments.
To this day, Zwinger Palace enjoys widespread fame as a baroque masterpiece and is a legacy
of Dresden's distinguished history as a royal seat.
Whether or not Augustus managed to beat the French King Louis XIV or not, when it comes
to the most-fancy-palace contest, is hard to say.
One thing is however certain; no one visits the Zwinger Palace and remains untouched by
its beauty.