This text is in our German Blog only.

The year 2012 starts with a spectacular event in Dresden. We are celebrating the SemperOpernball  (Semper Opera House ball) on Friday, 20th January.

The ball was already celebrated in the 1920’s and 30’s and it was relaunched in 2006 on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of Dresden. And it has since been one of the highlights in the city and it’s also a famous get-together of Germany’s high society.

The prom takes place in the Semper Opera House. The opening program starts at 9 PM and takes about 90 minutes. A program with high quality music is presented to the audience by our Saxon State Orchestra and the world’s best opera singers. Moreover an order is awarded to people who rendered outstanding services to charitable purposes, this year to Roger Moore amongst others.

The ball is opened at 10.30 PM by Stanislaw Tillich, the Prime Minister of Saxony, and the opening waltz.

Those who had no chance to get a ticket to the Opera Ball can celebrate and dance on the Theater Square in front of the Opera House. The opening program and the ball are broadcasted live on big screens.
A.W.

(http://www.semperopernball.de/)

Local traffic and the Blitz
Since 11th November 2011 the Dresden Transport Museum shows a special exhibition telling the history of the Blitz from the perspective of local public transport in the three fatefully connected cities.
The role of local public transport during World War II and the years of difficult postwar reconstruction is represented here by means of various touching contemporary documents and testimonials of personal experience. Special focus is given to the effects of aerial attack on local public transport and thus on people’s everyday lives.
With emphasis on five topics, the exhibition shows similarities and differences among the cities of London, Coventry and Dresden, thus explaining how the transport companies and their staff could keep the system running during that time.
Today the physical effects of the area bombardments have largely vanished. However, the remembrance of the aerial attacks remain vivid in the public and form the identity of the affected cities.
The bilingual exhibition (German/English) was opened at the London Transport Museum in 2010 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Blitz (the start of the air raids on England) and the 65th anniversary of the Dresden bombing. The exhibition has attracted a high number of visitors until March 2011.
It can still be seen until 15th April 2012 and there are many interesting talks, discussions and guided tours during the supporting programme of the exhibition: http://www.verkehrsmuseum-dresden.de/index.php?page=139.

Katharina

Christmas time is coming! Dresden is worth visiting in December as it has several Christmas markets and even a world premiere this year. We are proud to present the ‘Twinkle Town’ which is a big Christmas Town next to the Museum of Hygiene and the soccer stadium.

Five big tents are being set up at the moment in which people can enjoy a special Christmas feeling with up to sixty shows daily. Enjoy magical moments and do not miss the ice scenery, the fairy tale boat and Santa Claus of course!

The Twinkle Town is open from November 26^th to December December 30^th. Closing days are Mondays and December 25^th.

Combine the visit to the Twinkle Town with DresdenWalks’ special Christmas walking tours starting on November 26^th, daily at 11 AM. Get to know more about the Dresden Old Town and the regional Christmas traditions. Anke Winkler

 
The Jewish-American architect Daniel Libeskind (Jewish Museum in Berlin), who specializes in memorial architecture has turned,
following a contract with the Defense Department, the old arsenal building into a museum for German Army History.

An impressive new design and highly visible intervention is now since the opening 14^th October 2011 the laterally projecting concrete-steel wedge. It covers all floors and pits partially the historic substance. The impressive steel wedge that opens the prestigious military building from 1875 with new views illustrates in a strong and emotional way, what happened to this city and our country during the German division and
is thought provoking how catastrophe came from Nazi Germany. If one climbs the stairs to the museum, you are confronted with a visible fracture. The wedge clears the way to the historic city centre of Dresden. It rises above the roofs of the old building, from the outside as a visible sign of renewal and from the inside as an opening to the city.

Libeskind’s glassy V should be a symbol of the courage of a new start, which the Dresdner had after the Second World War. In the form of a V also the bomb attack was flown on 13^th February 1945 on Dresden. The first marking bomb destroyed the stadium in the Ostragehege, the tip of the wedge is pointing there with an angle of 40.1°.

The Military  Historical Museum of the Bundeswehr offers different perspectives on German military history. The theme that permeates all exhibition areas and the planning concept is the question of the causes and nature of violence. Here is the man: discussed with all his fears, hopes, passions, memories, instincts, and his courage, his reason and aggression. War is only understandable if its portrayal takes human nature as a basis.

In the vast exhibition of 13,000 square meters not technology and war take the centre of the stage, but man as perpetrator and victim.  Altogether, the museum displays about 10,500 exhibits.

It is open Thursday to Tuesday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Monday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., closed on Wednesdays. KM

There are two interesting special exhibitions at the moment in our city arranged by the Dresden State Art Collection.

The first one is named ‘New Objectivity’ and was opened at the beginning of this month in the Exhibition hall of the Lipsiusbau (Academy of Arts, Brühl’s Terrace). It is a selection of 200 paintings, drawings and sculptures by 80 German artists. Most of the works are from the holdings of the New Masters Picture Gallery or are loans from other renowned museums.

Dresden was an important center of the period ‘New Objectivity’ in the 1920’s. The works are characterized by social criticism, irony and precision.

This special exhibition is open until January 8th, 2012, from Tuesday to Sunday, 10 AM – 6 PM. The entrance fee is 6 EUR.

Another highlight is the exhibition ‘Heavenly Splendor’ in the Old Masters Picture Gallery in the Zwinger with two Raffael paintings. The first one is the ‘Sixtina Madonna’ which was purchased by the son of the Saxon Elector Augustus the Strong in the 18th and the second one is the ‘Foligno Madonna’ which is a loan from the Vatican Art Collection. The later one was given to Dresden by the Pope Benedict XVI. on the occasion of his visit to Germany at the end of September.

Both paintings were drawn by Raffael in the year 1512 in his atelier and were given to different churches later. Now they are reunited here in Dresden after 500 years!

The ‘Foligno Madonna’ will be returned to the Vatican in January but the ‘Sixtina Madonna’ will remain in the holdings of the Old Masters Picture Gallery and can be furthermore admired in the Zwinger.
Winkler

The HOPE Gala will take place on October 29th in the Schauspielhaus (theatre) for the 6th time. It is a big charity event for the AIDS prevention project of ‘HOPE Cape Town’. The donations that will be raised are used to care for HIV and AIDS infected children and their families in South Africa.

An entertaining evening with musical highlights is presented by two hosts. And a prize made of Meissen Porcelain will be awarded to someone who rendered outstanding services to HOPE Cape Town.

The gala will be supported by various partners, sponsors and a tombola. Every lot wins and the benefits are handed out to the project.

DresdenWalks is lucky to be part of the charity event as we offer tickets for our Dresden walking tour for the tombola!

A. Winkler

On the weekend of the 17th and 18th September 2011 the State Art Collections in Dresden celebrates with a varied program the 5-year anniversary of the reopening of the Historical Green Vault. On the occasion of the anniversary the Historical Green Vault, all museums and exhibitions in the Royal Palace are open also on Tuesdays the 13th, 20th and 27th September and the 4th October.
With 5 € entrance tickets for either the Palace or the Historic Green Vault, one can see on that day all events and current exhibitions until 10 p.m. You can expect a colourful program for children and adults: Jazz, creative workshops, lectures, raffle and free tours of the museums.
On Sunday, September 18, 2011, the Royal Palace invites you to a concert at 11 a.m. in the small courtyard ,to a reading, creative workshops and guided tours for children.
The Green Vault in the Royal Palace in Dresden is the oldest Treasury museum in Europe and finest collections of art treasures from the Renaissance and the Baroque. Founder of this unique museum was the famous Saxon Elector August the Strong. As one of the few European treasuries the Green Vault has succeeded in maintaining almost its authentic stock.
As a work of art, the objects are shown without disturbing glass, which is why the number of visitors is limited and entry is possible only through a double door system that will keep the premises free of dust. The tour includes the Antechamber and the Amber Room to the Ivory Room and the Jewellery Room with its almost completely mirrored walls. A total of 10 rooms are passed through. It also includes the famous work of art “Moor with Emerald Plate”. Among the numerous drinking vessels are also the mouth cup of Martin Luther and a drinking cup of Ivan the Terrible.(K. Michael)