Siege of Dresden

The Kingdom of Saxony (German: Königreich Sachsen), lasting from 1806 to 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Napoleonic through post-Napoleonic Germany. The kingdom was formed from the Electorate of Saxony. From 1871, it was part of the German Empire. It became a free state in the era of Weimar Republic in 1918 after the end of World War I and the abdication of King Frederick Augustus III of Saxony. Its capital was the city of Dresden, and its modern successor state is the Free State of Saxony.

The Dresden tramway network (German: Straßenbahnnetz Dresden) is a network of tramways forming the backbone of the public transport system in Dresden, a city in the federal state of Saxony, Germany. Opened in 1872, it has been operated since 1993 by Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe (DVB), and is integrated in the Verkehrsverbund Oberelbe (VVO). As of 2008, the network comprised 12 tram lines, with a total line length of approximately 210 kilometres (130 mi) and a total route length of 132.7 kilometres (82.5 mi). There was 291.6 kilometres (181.2 mi) of track, which translated into 132.7 kilometres (82.5 mi) of actual tram line, serving 154 tram stops.

The Franziskanerkloster or Barfüßerkloster was a Franciscan monastery in Dresden founded in 1272. Its church (with its associated Busmannkapelle) later became the Sophienkirche.

The Postplatz is a central square in Dresden and an important traffic junction, especially for local public transport. It is located in the old town not far from the Zwinger.

The Busmannkapelle was a side chapel of the Sophienkirche in Dresden. The chapel was built in 1400 when the Sophienkirche was still part of the city's Franciscan monastery. It was funded by the patrician Busmann family, who used it as a family and funerary chapel and after whom it was named. It was destroyed in February 1945 during the bombing of Dresden in World War II, but in 1994 plans were instigated to reconstruct the chapel on the same site as the Busmannkapelle Memorial, as a memorial to the church as a whole.

The Busmannkapelle Memorial (Gedenkstätte Busmannkapelle) is a building on Sophie Street in Dresden. It is a reconstruction of the Busmannkapelle and has been under construction since 2009 (with completion planned for 2011), though planning began in 1995. It is a memorial to the Sophienkirche, lost in the bombing in 1945.

The Sophienkirche (Saint Sophia's Church) was a church in Dresden. It was located on the northeast corner of the Postplatz (post office square) in the old town before it was severely damaged in the Dresden bombing in 1945 and subsequently destroyed in 1962 by the party and government of the GDR. It was the only Gothic church in the city.

The Dresden Porcelain Collection (German: Porzellansammlung) is part of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen (State Art Collections) of Dresden, Germany. It is located in the Zwinger Palace.

The Semper Gallery or Semper Building (German: Sempergalerie or Semperbau) in Dresden, Germany, was designed by the architect Gottfried Semper and constructed from 1847 until 1854. The long-stretched building in Neoclassical style closes the Zwinger courtyard on its northern side. It faces the Zwinger to the south; to the north it borders on the Theatre Square (Theaterplatz) with the Semper Opera House as well as Dresden Castle and the Catholic Church of the Royal Court (Katholische Hofkirche). The Semper Gallery houses the Old Masters Picture Gallery (Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister).

The Zwinger (German: Dresdner Zwinger, IPA: [ˈdʁeːzdnɐ ˈt͡svɪŋɐ]) is a palatial complex with gardens in Dresden, Germany. Designed by architect Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann, it is one of the most important buildings of the Baroque period in Germany. Along with the Frauenkirche, the Zwinger is the most famous architectural monument of Dresden. The name "Zwinger" goes back to the name used in the Middle Ages for a fortress part between the outer and inner fortress walls, even though the Zwinger no longer had a function corresponding to the name at the start of construction. The Zwinger was built in 1709 as an orangery and garden as well as a representative festival area. Its richly decorated pavilions and the galleries lined with balustrades, figures and vases testify to the splendor during the reign of Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and elected King of Poland. In the original conception of the elector, the Zwinger was the forecourt of a new castle that would take up the area between it and the Elbe; therefore, the Zwinger remained undeveloped on the Elbe side (provisionally closed with a wall). The plans for a new castle were abandoned after the death of Augustus the Strong, and with the departure from the Baroque period, the Zwinger initially lost importance. It was only over a century later that the architect Gottfried Semper completed it with the Semper Gallery towards the Elbe. The Sempergalerie, opened in 1855, was one of the most important German museum projects of the 19th century and made it possible to expand the use of the Zwinger as a museum complex, which had grown under the influence of time since the 18th century. The Bombing of Dresden on February 13 and 14, 1945 hit the Zwinger extensively and led to extensive destruction. Since the reconstruction in the 1950s and 1960s, the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Picture Gallery), the Dresden Porcelain Collection (Dresdener Porzellansammlung) and the Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon (Royal Cabinet of Mathematical and Physical Instruments) have opened to the public. The original intended use as an orangery, garden and as a representative festival area has taken a back seat; the latter continues to be cultivated with the performance of music and theater events.

Taschenbergpalais is a palace hotel owned by the Kempinski Group. It is located on Sophie Street next to the Dresden Castle and in front of the Zwinger. In direct proximity are the Semperoper, the Theaterplatz (theatre square) and the Dresden Cathedral. The facade of the Hotel Taschenbergpalais as well as the staircase on the inside of the building are designed historically whereas the interior in general is designed rather modern.

The Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon (German: [mateˈmaːtɪʃ fyziˈkaːlɪʃɐ zaˈloːn], Royal Cabinet of Mathematical and Physical Instruments) in Dresden, Germany, is a museum of historic clocks and scientific instruments. Its holdings include terrestrial and celestial globes, astronomical, optical and geodetic devices dating back to the 16th century, as well as historic instruments for calculating and drawing length, mass, temperature and air pressure. The Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon is part of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (State Art Collections). It is located in the Zwinger.