Dresden Castle

Dresden Castle was the seat of the Wettin dynasty, Electors and later Kings of Saxony, from the 15th century until 1918. The building as it stands today is the result of multiple building phases: the medieval fortress core from the 13th century, the Renaissance expansion under Elector Moritz between 1547 and 1553 with the addition of the Moritzbau wing and the Hausmannsturm tower, the Baroque additions in the 18th century, and the comprehensive reconstruction after its near-total destruction in the bombing of Dresden on 13 February 1945. The reconstruction was completed in stages between 1985 and 2020. The castle now houses five museums under one roof: the Historic Green Vault with works by Dinglinger and Cellini; the New Green Vault with an unparalleled collection of jewellery, goldsmith work, and objets d art; the Turkish Chamber, one of the largest collections of Ottoman art outside Turkey, with tents, weapons, and ceremonial objects; the Prints Cabinet with over 500,000 works on paper; the Numismatic Cabinet with coins and medals; and the Armoury with parade armour, weapons, and tournament equipment. The Hausmannsturm tower offers views across the rebuilt Altstadt and the Elbe river valley. The castle is connected to the Zwinger and the Semperoper across the Theaterplatz, forming Dresdens cultural heart. It is easily reachable by tram from Dresden Hauptbahnhof.