In the city of Dresden, the capital of Saxony Land, eastern Germny

 "Music is the inarticulate speech of the heart, which cannot be compressed into words, because it is infinite." -- Richard Wagner

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(in eastern Germany) Dresden, the capital of Saxony Land (state) is the third largest city in this part of Germany (after Berlin and Leipzig); it lies in the broad basin of the Elbe River between Meissen and Pirna. Although 80 percent of Dresden’s historic center was destroyed in World War II, many significant landmarks have been restored to their former splendor and new attractions attest to Dresden's playful atmosphere. The city stretches out on both sides of the river and is embedded in the foothills of the East Erzgebirge Mountains. Dresden is lush and green, filled with forests and gardens and parks. The city is rich with cultural and artistic history; the great operatic composer Wilhelm Wagner debuted many works here in the 1800s, and, today an independent light opera company keeps the classical art form modern and fresh. The classic view from the Elbe’s northern bank takes in spires, towers and domes of palaces, churches and stately buildings. Indeed, it is hard to believe that the city was all but wiped off the map by Allied bombings in 1945.

+ The Dresden metropolitan area has approximately 1.34 million inhabitants Most of the city's population lives in the Elbe Valley, but a large area of the city lies east of the Elbe lies in Lusatia. Dresden has a long history as the capital and royal residence for the Electors and Kings of Saxony, and was once by personal union the family seat of Polish monarchs. After WWII, restoration work has helped to reconstruct parts of the historic inner city.

+ Since German reunification in 1990, Dresden has again become a cultural, educational and political center of Germany. The Dresden University of Technology is one of the 10 largest universities in Germany and part of the German Universities Excellence Initiative. (It is dominated by high-tech branches, often called "Silicon Saxony.") The city is home to the renowned Dresden State Art Collections, originating from the collections of the Saxon electors in the 16th century.

+ The heart of Dresden is still a cluster of Baroque churches and the Rococo-style Zwinger on the south bank of the Elbe, in the old city. The ruins of the Frauenkirche were kept as a memorial until the 1990s, when reconstruction began. Work was completed in 2005, and the Frauenkirche subsequently opened to the public.

+ The city is the home of the Dresden State Theatre and the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra. There is a music college and colleges of medicine, plastic arts, transport, and teachers’ training. The city is the site of a Technical University, the Central Institute for Nuclear Physics, and the German Museum of Hygiene, internationally known for its manufacture of transparent plastic anatomical models. There are several historic parks, notably the Grosse Garten, which lies southeast of the old city and has botanical and zoological gardens.