Dresden: The heart of Silicon Saxony

All but destroyed in the firebombing so well-chronicled by the recently departed Kurt Vonnegut in his novel, 'Slaughterhouse Five', Dresden is once again returning to its pre-War magnificence. One of Europe's most elegant baroque capitals has put new shine on the Semper Oper and a cluster of museums and castles along the Elbe River. The crown jewel was completed in 2005, when the city reopened its beloved 'Fat Lady', the painstakingly reconstructed Frauenkirche, which was destroyed during the war.

Dresden introduced

The 800-year-old capital of Saxony has managed to stay largely free of the dour economic malaise that has struck the rest of east Germany after reunification, and its local universities are one of the major reasons. Major chip companies like AMD and Infineon have set up plants in Dresden as has the electronics firm ZMD, and all work closely with the Technical University Dresden, one of the country's most prestigious. The city is also home to Volkswagen's design wonder, the Glass Factory, and a host of automotive sub contractors. But not all is scientific progress. Dresden's centuries-old reputation as an artistic hub is supported by a dance, visual arts and musical college well-respected across the country.

Overview of the universities

Technical University Dresden
The 175-year-old university is Dresden's best and one among the best-known in Germany. It was recently the only eastern German university recognized as part of the government's excellence initiative, qualifying it for upwards of 1.9 billion in federal funding. Most known for its engineering, both mechanical and electrical, the university is also building up a formidable computer science department (and a new building) and benefiting from the proximity to major chip manufacturers like Infineon and AMD. Its reputation stretches far into the world - of its 34,800 students, 10.4 percent come from abroad.

University of Visual Arts, Dresden
Initially founded in the 18th century, the hochschule is one of the oldest of its kind in Germany. It has counted Giovanni Casanova (the painter, not the rakish scoundrel) and painter Caspar David Friedrich as its professors, and the famous 20th century illustrator, Georg Grosz among its matriculated students. Of its four majors, 'Art Technology, Conservation and Restoration' is one of the country's oldest and most renowned. In 2000, a 'lab theater' was completed as an experimental stage and workshop for students of the university's stage and costume design majors.

University of Applied Sciences
Among the younger of Dresden's institutions of higher learning (founded in 1992), the University of Applied Sciences has played catch up in recent years - thanks to Dresden's reputation as a science hub. Saxony's 'Mittelstand' (mid-sized companies) benefit the most from access to the university's good crop of IT, electrical engineering and engineering graduates. The university's Center for Applied Research and Technology cooperates with local and international companies and research institutes in such areas as transportation infrastructure, nano electronics and engineering. The University also offers cartography and landscaping as majors.

What Dresden is like

Annet Richter, a Dresden native, began studying culture and management at the TU Dresden in October 2003.

Why did you pick Dresden?

A big city has a lot of advantages that a small or medium-sized city can't compete with. Even if it's only because of the fact that the sidewalks aren't completely empty at 6 p.m. Dresden, especially, offers a colorful active and nightlife. So much that even I, although I'm from here, can't say I know the majority of it.

What should everyone experience?

An absolute must is a club, bar, cinema tour. And because that's not possible just once, you'll have to be "pushed" into doing it several times. The "Dresden student days", Uni Air, Campus Party and film nights on the Elb River are on almost everyone's events calendar. A shopping tour through Dresden's Neustadt, with its small, individual stores, is also great.

What is your favorite thing to do in Dresden (or outside of it)?

To take several trips around the one-of-a-kind "Round Cinema"; let the wind blow in your face on the Augustus Bridge in shifty weather; go up to the Kreuzkirchturm or the roof of the Whoerl department store to observe the colorful goings on below; sit on the banks of the Elbe with friends and a bottle of wine; do nothing on the lawn behind the lecture hall; sing while you walk through the Zwinger so that people stop and take notice; or tramp around Saxony's Little Switzerland to enjoy nature and let your soul free.

Did you know?

Dresden is a serious college town, and the TU its main attraction. With an estimated 4,700 employees, the university is Dresden's most important job motor. The students' buying power is estimated at 150 million.

Things to check out

Pillnitz Castle: Sample royal sumptuousness at the royal summer palace in Pillnitz, in the east of the city, and see what happens when you cross Baroque architecture with 18th century Europe's obsession with China.

The Green Vault: View 18th century bling thanks to August the Strong, whose 4,000 piece treasure collection includes a diamond-encrusted sword and a 41-carat green diamond.

Saechsische Schweiz: By no means a replacement for the Alps, but Saxony's Switzerland features some jaw-dropping 'needles' of sandstone that shoot up in an imitation of Dresden's spires; One of Germany's best hiking and rock-climbing locations.

What's Happening?

Over the bridge from all that baroque elegance is the thriving, artistic Neustadt. The historical home of craftsmen, and artists, Neustadt is nowadays filled with boutiques, restaurants, and the city's best bars. You can either start or end up at the Scheune, a pastiche of gallery, bar, stage and club that hosts events from readings to record release parties every week. Other nightlife spots include the Raskolnikoff, a gallery cum restaurant, and the Café Pawlow, one of the Neustadt's originals. Not to be missed in the summer is the 'Bunte Republik Neustadt' festival, in which the proud residents of this neighborhood celebrate their fierce individuality.

Useful links

The Dresden city site in English: http://www.dresden.de/index_en.php

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