Architecture

Experience architecture in Saxony

The German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer once described architecture as “frozen music”, and he might well have had buildings such as Dresden’s Church of Our Lady, the Zwinger palace or Moritzburg Castle in his mind when saying that. Saxony is an architectural treasure chest with magnificent Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque buildings, as well as fascinating traces of the beginnings of Modernism. The region is yours to discover on a journey through architectural history!

Highlights

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„As an architect, you have to believe in the future. You can't be a cynic or a sceptic, otherwise you wouldn't be an architect.”

Daniel Libeskind, architect and urban planner (1946)

Architectural highlights in Saxony

Late Gothic architecture in Saxon

Albrechtsburg Castle in Meissen is one of the most famous late Gothic architectural monuments in Germany. Solely constructed as a residence, it was Germany’s first castle built for such a purpose.
St. Anne’s Church in Annaberg-Buchholz is a late Gothic/Renaissance hall church and, at 65 metres long and 40 metres wide, the largest late Gothic church in Saxony.
The parish church of St. Mary in Pirna, designed as a three-aisled hall with outstanding late Gothic vaulting, is an example of the hall churches built in Saxony and Bohemia.
Rochlitz Castle still features several Romanesque parts but is characterised by a Gothic-style conversion dating back to the last quarter of the 14th century.
The four-nave parish church of St. Mary in Kamenz was built of granite around 1400 high above town.

Renaissance architecture in Saxony

Hartenfels Castle in Torgau is an absolute architectural masterpiece of the Renaissance and closely connected to the history of the Protestant Reformation.
Dresden’s rebuilt Royal Palace in the old town district was the seat of the Dresden court and the Saxon electors and kings.
Augustusburg Palace, the hunting and pleasure lodge of Augustus the Strong, is one of the most beautiful Renaissance palaces in Central Europe.
The Old Town Hall in Leipzig is considered one of the most important German secular buildings of the Renaissance.
Hinterglauchau Castle was built from 1470 onwards on the site of a castle of the Lords of Schönburg and formed the centre of their dominion for centuries.

Baroque architecture in Saxony

Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche) in Dresden is an Evangelical Lutheran church of the Baroque period and the defining monumental building of Dresden's Neumarkt square.
Dresden’s Zwinger is one of the most famous Baroque buildings in Germany. It houses museums of world renown and is a venue for music and art events.
Moritzburg Castle, a hunting lodge, took on its present form in the 18th century under Augustus the Strong.
Pillnitz Palace and Park on the Elbe River is an extraordinary ensemble of fine architecture and landscape gardening.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. George in Schwarzenberg is a Baroque hall church, and, together with the castle, defines the town’s face.

Church of our Lady in Dresden

Dresden’s Church of Our Lady, or Frauenkirche in German, has a very special place in the heart of the local population.

This unique Baroque church is a symbol of the city's history and a visible focal point of Dresden’s skyline. The reconstruction of Frauenkirche became one of the most spectacular and symbolic building projects in recent history.

Whether church services, concerts, guided tours or a visit to the viewing platform, Frauenkirche is an open church in the truest sense of the word. It captivates people thanks to its beauty, history and special symbolic power.

Der Barockgarten Großsedlitz ist die beduetendste Gartenschöpfung des 18. Jahrhunderts in Sachsen.

Ansicht vom Fürst-Pückler Park Bad Muskau UNESCO Weltkurkturerbe auf das Schloss

Im Herzen der sächsischen Landeshauptstadt befindet der mit 147 Hektar beeindruckendste Park Dresdens: der Große Garten. 1678 begann Kurfürst Johann Georg III. mit dem Bau der Anlage nach französischem Vorbild.

Blick in den Albertpark Bad Elster mit Rhododendronblüten im Vordergrund

Seitliche Aufnahme der Kromlau Brücke im Herbst

Modernist architecture in Saxony

Hellerau Festival House was built in 1911 in the style of reform architecture and is considered a major work of 20th century architecture.
Villa Esche in Chemnitz is an Art Nouveau villa built by the Belgian architect and designer Henry van de Velde in 1902/1903 and extended in 1911.
Schminke House, a factory owner's mansion in the small town of Löbau in eastern Saxony built by the architect Hans Scharoun, is one of the four most important residential buildings of classical modernism in the world.
The former Schocken department store in Chemnitz, designed by the architect Erich Mendelsohn, is now home to the State Museum of Archaeology.
Versöhnungskirche (Church of Reconciliation) on the northern outskirts of Leipzig was built by the architect Hans Heinrich Grotjahn between 1930 and 1932.

Rechtsseitige Ansicht des Karl-Marx-Monuments in Chemnitz

Architecture of the former GDR

Kulturpalast Dresden is a modernist GDR building designed by architect Wolfgang Hänsch. It was opened in 1969 and had the largest multi-purpose space in the city.
The Gewandhaus is a concert hall on Augustusplatz square in Leipzig inaugurated in 1981 and the Gewandhaus Orchestra’s “home”.
Dresden’s TV tower with a height of 252 metres stands on the slopes of the Elbe in Dresden and has served as a broadcasting tower for television, radio and mobile communications since 1969.
City-Hochhaus Leipzig, a high-rise building with 34 floors and a height of 142 metres, is located on Augustusplatz square in Leipzig and a landmark of the city.
The Karl Marx Monument is a 7.1-metre-high sculpture weighing about forty tonnes that depicts Karl Marx's head based on a design by the Soviet artist Lew Kerbel and was inaugurated in 1971.

Contemporary architecture

The Bundeswehr Museum of Military History in Dresden is housed in a 19th century arsenal, which was expanded after a design by Daniel Libeskind, featuring a stunning pointed steel and glass share cutting through the building.
The architecture of Volkswagen’s Transparent Factory in Dresden symbolises transparency and authenticity.
Dresden Synagogue was completed by the architects’ office Wandel Hoefer Lorch + Hirsch in 2001.
The Paulinum assembly hall and church complex is part of the University of Leipzig, built between 2007 and 2017 according to plans by Dutch architect Erick van Egeraat.
Porsche’s new customer centre in Leipzig is impressive not only because of its special architecture by Gerkan, Marg & Partner.

Blick auf den Augustusplatz und die Leipziger Universität mit Springbrunnen im Vordergrund