Dresdner Zwinger is a palatial complex in Dresden, Germany
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.
Thanks and credit to Google Earth Studio for this aerial video.
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.
Thanks and credit to Google Earth Studio for this aerial video.
Transcript
00:00The Zwinger, German. Dresdner Zwinger, is a palatial complex with gardens in Dresden,
00:15Germany. Designed by architect Matthias Daniel Poppelmann. It is one of the most important
00:20buildings of the Baroque period in Germany. Along with the Frauenkirche, the Zwinger is
00:25the most famous architectural monument of Dresden. The name, Zwinger, goes back to the
00:30name used in the Middle Ages for a fortress part between the outer and inner fortress
00:35walls. Even though the Zwinger no longer had a function corresponding to the name at the
00:39start of construction. The Zwinger was built in 1709 as an orangery and garden as well
00:45as a representative festival area. Its richly decorated pavilions and the galleries lined
00:50with balustrades. Figures and vases testify to the splendor during the reign of Augustus
00:56the Strong, Elector of Saxony and elected King of Poland. In the original conception
01:01of the Elector, the Zwinger was the forecourt of a new castle that would take up the area
01:06between it and the Elbe. Therefore, the Zwinger remained undeveloped on the Elbe side, provisionally
01:11closed with a wall. The plans for a new castle were abandoned after the death of Augustus
01:16the Strong, and with the departure from the Baroque period, the Zwinger initially lost
01:21importance. It was only over a century later that the architect Gottfried Semper completed
01:26it with the Semper Gallery towards the Elbe. The Semper Gallery, opened in 1855, was one
01:32of the most important German museum projects of the 19th century and made it possible to
01:37expand the use of the Zwinger as a museum complex, which had grown under the influence
01:42of time since the 18th century. The bombing of Dresden on February 13 and 14, 1945 hit
01:49the Zwinger extensively and led to extensive destruction. Since the reconstruction in the
01:551950s and 1960s, the Gemäldegalerie Altmeister, Old Master's Picture Gallery, the Dresden
02:01Porcelain Collection, Dresdener Porzellansammlung, and the Mathematische Physikalische Salon
02:07Royal Cabinet of Mathematical and Physical Instruments, have opened to the public.
02:12The original intended use is an orangery. Gardenen as a representative festival area
02:17has taken a back seat, the latter continues to be cultivated with the performance of music
02:22and theatre events. The Zwinger covers an area on the northwestern edge of the Innere
02:27Altstadt, Inner Old Town, that is part of the historic heart of Dresden. It is located
02:32near other famous sites, including Dresden Castle and the Semperoper. The Zwinger is
02:38bounded by Sofienstrasse in the southeast, Postplatz in the south, Austria-Allee in the
02:43southwest, the Ammswingertheik road in the northwest, and Theater Square, Theaterplatz,
02:49in the east. Nearby buildings include the Dresden State Theater to the southwest, the
02:54Haus am Zwinger to the south, the Taschenberg Palais Hotel to the southeast. The west wing
02:59of the palace with its green vault to the east, the Altstadtisch Hauptwache to the northeast,
03:04the Semperoper to the north and the former royal stables to the northwest. Within view
03:09lie the Catholic court church and the Italian village in Theater Square. The Wilstruffer
03:15Cubus on Postplatz and the Duchess Garden with the remnants of the former orangery building
03:19in the west. The terraced banks of the Elbe River are located 200 meters northeast of
03:25the Zwinger. The name Zwinger goes back to the common medieval German term for that part
03:30of a fortification between the outer and inner defensive walls, or outer ward. Archaeological
03:36evidence indicates that the construction of the first city wall took place in the last
03:40quarter of the 12th century. A documentary entry is Civitas in 1216 points to the existence
03:46of an enclosed Dresden fortification at that time. In 1427, during the Hussite Wars, work
03:53began on strengthening the city's defenses and they were enhanced by a second, outer,
03:58wall.
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