The Schloßplatz (English: ''Palace Square'' or ''Castle Square'') is a

city square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

in the center of

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. It gets its name from the Dresdner Schloss, the royal residence of the Electors and Kings of Saxony, which faces the south side of the square. The Schloßplatz is further bounded by the

Katholische Hofkirche Dresden Cathedral, or the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Dresden, previously the Catholic Church of the Royal Court of Saxony, called in German Katholische Hofkirche and since 1980 also known as Kathedrale Sanctissimae Trinitatis, is the Catholi ...

, the Sächsische Ständehaus, the Georgentor, and

Augustus Bridge The Augustus Bridge is a bridge in the city of Dresden, in the state Saxony in Germany. Crossing the river Elbe, the road bridge connects the Innere Neustadt in the north (right bank) with the historic city centre to the south (left bank). The ...

the over the River

Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Re ...

. Dating from the 15th century, the square was destroyed in

Bombing of Dresden in World War II The bombing of Dresden was a joint British and American aerial bombing attack on the city of Dresden, the capital of the German state of Saxony, during World War II. In four raids between 13 and 15 February 1945, 772 heavy bombers of the Roya ...

. In recent years the buildings surrounding the square have largely been restored so that the area again has a historic character.

Monuments

King Albert Memorial

A bronze statue of

Albert of Saxony en, Frederick Augustus Albert Anthony Ferdinand Joseph Charles Maria Baptist Nepomuk William Xavier George Fidelis , image = Albert of Saxony by Nicola Perscheid c1900.jpg , image_size = , caption = Photograph by Nicola Persch ...

by sculptor

Max Baumbach Max Baumbach (28 November 1859, Wurzen – 4 October 1915, Berlin) was a German sculptor. Life He studied at the Prussian Academy of Arts under Fritz Schaper and Karl Begas. In 1885, he began presenting his own exhibitions throughout Germany ...

was inaugurated in 1906 in front of the Georgentor and was melted in 1945 after being severely damaged. Stone friezes on the base were restored in 1990 on the original site.

Monument to Friedrich August

A sculpture by Ernst Rietschel of Frederick Augustus I "The Righteous" in seated position now stands on the site of the old Albert statue. This monument had been located at the Dresden Zwinger since 1843, and later was moved to the

Japanisches Palais The Japanisches Palais (English: "Japanese Palace") is a Baroque building in Dresden, Saxony, Germany. It is located on the Neustadt bank of the river Elbe. History Built in 1715, it was extended from 1729 until 1731 to house the Japanese p ...

. Through the efforts of the city, the Saxon Academy of Fine Arts, and private sponsors it was moved to this prominent spot in 2008. The consecration on 29 May 2008 included a performance of the Weih-Hymne by Richard Wagner, who had composed the piece on the occasion of the sculpture's original unveiling in 1843.Press Release
City of Dresden Official website (in English), retrieved Apr-25-2012

Napoleon stone

Outside the main entrance of the

is a paving stone marked with an ''N''. This indicates the spot where

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

paraded his troops and set off for the Battle of Dresden on August 26, 1813, in which he was victorious.

Use today

In addition to theatre square, the Castle Square is used for political events during election campaigns. Since the stone buildings in close quarters cause much reverberation, concerts take place at the nearby Theaterplatz, which is more spacious and has such a better acoustics.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schlossplatz (Dresden) Squares in Dresden Odonyms referring to a building