DRESDEN, Uer. pron. drieeden. The capital of the Kingdom of Saxony, situated on both banks of the Elbe, in latitude 51° 3' 3" N. and longitude 13° 44' E. (Map: Germany. E 3). The Elbe separates the Altstadt and Friedrich stadt and their eight suburbs on the left bank from the Neustadt and Antonstadt with their suburbs on the right bank. The river is crossed by five bridges (one of iron and four of stone), of which the Augustus Bridge dates from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Dresden has numerous squares and parks. both in the old and the new- parts. Its largest park. the Grosse Gar ten. is situated in the Alistadt, and eontains, be sides numerous statues, a 11111.VIIM of antiquities and a zoCilogieal and a botanical garden. The most noteworthy of the squares of the Altstadt are the Altmarkt. the Neumarkt with its Luther Memorial, the Theater-Platz with the statue of King John, by Schilling. and the Sehloss-Platz. Across the Ellie the principal squares are the Albert, the Kaiser Wilhelm, and the Alaun. Along the left hank of the Elbe lies the Briihl Terrace. the finest promenade of the city. It is about half a mile long, with a beautiful staircase decorated with gilded statuary. The churches of Dresden are numerous. but none of them are of great interest. The Chureh of Our Lady on the Neumarkt. dating from the beginning of the eighteenth century, has a lofty 'lantern,' and •on tains a fine baroque altar. Near the Augustus Bridge is the Roman Catholic Court Church. erected in the Middle of the eighteenth century in the baroque style. It is surmounted by a lower 280 feet high. and its filen& is adorned with 74 statues of saints by The Protestant Sophienkirehe was built in the tliirtcs.nth and fourteenth centuries, and was restored in 1861-418.
Among the secular buildings. the most promi nent is the royal palace. beemi in 1531, and eon .iderably enlarged and adorned by Augustus the Strong. It is partly built in the style of the sev enteenth eentur,), and has a timer 331 feet high. Its great court contains several noteworthy wind ing staircase toners. "file banquet and throne
halls arc decorated with mural frescoes by mann. The %winger is the vestibule of an exten sive and magnificent palace begun daring the reign of Augustus the Strong by the Court archi tect, POppelmann, and mover completed. The %IN finger comprises seven pavilions connected by a gallery, with an oblong court in the centre. It is built in the baroque and rococo styles. It. north east wing forms the Museum. a very line build ing in the Renaissance. begun in IS tit and com pleted in 1855. It is profusely decorated with sculptures. including statues of Michelangelo, t;iotto, 1101bein, Diirer, and Goethe. other public buildings are the Prinzen-Palais. erected in 1715, the Briihl Palace. and the llof Theater, a beautiful Ilenaissanee edifice completed in 1878. The new post-office. the Academy of Medicine and Surgery, the Rathaus. and the court-house are also noteworthy. Among the public buildings of the Neustadt, the most interesting is the Japanese Palace, dating from 1715, and now con taining the Royal Library.
Among the educational institutions of Dresden are the Royal Technical High School, with sev eral faculties, a number of classical and 'real' gymnasia. and several art and denonihmtiona1 schools. The Royal Music School is one of the most celebrated institutions of its kind. Dresden has three municipal theatres, of which the fa mous Court Theatre is devoted to opera and in dramas, and is one of the leading theatres in the world. In art collections and libraries Dresden ranks high. As early as the sixteenth century the Saxon princes began to accumulate works of art, and laid the foundations of the splendid galleries and museums for which Dres den is famous. The Royal Library was founded by the Elector Augustus in the sixteenth century. It eontains about 4G0.000 volumes. a large mini her of MSS. and maps. and a collection of po• traits. The Museum Johanneum possesses a rare collection of Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and Dres den porcelain, numbering about 15.000 pieces.