Brühl's Terrace () is a historic architectural ensemble in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Nicknamed "The Balcony of Europe", the terrace stretches high above the bank of the river

Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) 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 Republic), then Ge ...

, and is located north of the recently rebuilt Neumarkt Square and the Frauenkirche.

History and character

The present-day terrace was part of the city's fortifications, rebuilt upon the 1546/47

Schmalkaldic War The Schmalkaldic War (; July 1546May 1547) was fought within the territories of the Holy Roman Empire between the allied forces of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and Maurice, Duke of Saxony against the Lutheran Schmalkaldic League, with the forc ...

at the behest of Elector Maurice of Saxony and his successors

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

and

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

. The name Brühl's Terrace is a reference to Count Heinrich von Brühl, Minister of Elector Frederick Augustus II, who from 1737 had a city palace with a gallery, a library and adjacent gardens built on the location. In 1747 the whole terrace was given to him by the Saxon elector as a gift for the innovative introduction of a betterment tax. Dresden-Staendehaus-sunset

After the Saxon defeat at the

Battle of Leipzig The Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of the Nations, was fought from 16 to 19 October 1813 at Leipzig, Saxony. The Coalition armies of Austria, Prussia, Sweden, and Russia, led by Tsar Alexander I, Karl von Schwarzenberg, and G ...

and the occupation by Russian troops, military governor Prince Nikolai Grigorjevich Repnin-Volkonski ordered the opening to the public in 1814. He charged the architect Gottlob Friedrich Thormeyer with the building of a flight of stairs at the western end to reach the terrace from

Castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

Square and Augustus Bridge. The Brühl Palace was demolished in the course of the building of the Saxon ''Ständehaus'' in 1900. Dresden Kunstakademie Frauenkirche

The ensemble was totally destroyed in February 1945 when the city was heavily hit by the Allied Bombing of Dresden during the end phase of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Today, it has been rebuilt; the precise amount restored is difficult to say as a percentage, but in general one can say the ensemble looks very much the same today as it did in the past. Today, Brühl's Terrace is again one of the main city landmarks besides the Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady),

Dresden Castle Dresden Castle or Royal Palace ( or ) is one of the oldest buildings in Dresden, Germany. For almost 400 years, it was the residence of the electors (1547–1806) and List of rulers of Saxony, kings (1806–1918) of Kingdom of Saxony, Saxony from ...

, the Hofkirche and buildings on Theatre Square such as the Zwinger and the

Semperoper The Semperoper () is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera) and the concert hall of the Staatskapelle Dresden (Saxon State Orchestra). It is also home to the Semperoper Ballett. The building is located on the Th ...

, which are all located in the vicinity. At the ''Bärenzwinger'' students' club near the monument for Johann Friedrich Böttger, one can see a fingerprint in a guard rail of the terrace garden. This dactylogram is said to be proof of the strength of Augustus the Strong, who is said to have left the mark - but is only one of many myths surrounding August, such as the legend that he fathered 365 children.

Architectural parts of the terrace

Most people enter the terrace from the Schlossplatz (Castle Square) on the west end of the terrace. Besides

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

a staircase with four sculptures (''The Four Times of Day'') leads from the Schlossplatz (Castle Square) up to Brühl's Terrace. One of the next buildings to the right is the Academy of Fine Arts. There is an ensemble of important buildings, such as the

Albertinum The Albertinum () is a modern art museum. The sandstone-clad Renaissance Revival architecture, Renaissance Revival building is located on Brühl's Terrace in the historic center of Dresden, Germany. It is named after King Albert, King of Saxony, A ...

. * Sächsisches Ständehaus by Paul Wallot * Sekundogenitur * Academy of Fine Arts * Jungfernbastei (Belvederehügel) * Moritzmonument * Bärenzwinger basement vault * Hofgärtnerhaus *

* Delphinbrunnen * Staircase by Gottlob Friedrich Thormeyer

Statues of Note

Ludwig Richter Adrian Ludwig Richter (September 28, 1803June 19, 1884) was a German painter and etcher, who was strongly influenced by Erhard and Daniel Chodowiecki, Chodowiecki. He was a representative of both Romanticism and Biedermeier styles. He was th ...

* Ernst Rietschel by Johannes Schilling * Gottfried Semper by Johannes Schilling * Johann Friedrich Böttger * The "Four Times of the Day" group (''Vier Tageszeiten'') by Johannes Schilling

The balconies of Europe and of Dresden

Brühl's Terrace is known as the "Balcony of Europe", a name which was first thought up and used at the beginning of the 19th century and which since then has been used in all kinds of literature. The name "Balcony of Dresden", on the other hand, is more regionally used for a tower six kilometers further to the East on a slope by the

Loschwitz Loschwitz is a borough (''Geography and urban development of Dresden#City structuring, Stadtbezirk'') of Dresden, Germany, incorporated in 1921. It consists of ten quarters (''Stadtteile''): Loschwitz is a villa quarter located at the slopes nor ...

, an area known for expensive living.

External links

Dresden wiki
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bruhl's Terrace Streets in Dresden Tourist attractions in Dresden Pedestrian streets in Germany