198km (123 miles) S of Berlin, 111km (69 miles) SE of Leipzig

Dresden, once known as "Florence on the Elbe," was celebrated throughout Europe for its architecture and art treasures. Then came the night of February 13, 1945, when Allied bombers rained down phosphorus and high-explosive bombs on the city, which had no military targets. By morning, the Dresden of legend was but a memory. No one knows for sure how many died, but the number is certainly in the tens of thousands, and perhaps more. If you're interested in the subject, you might want to read Kurt Vonnegut's novel Slaughterhouse Five.

Today, Dresden is undergoing a rapid and dramatic restoration, and is once again a major sightseeing destination. For example, its once-fabled Schloss (castle), for decades only a few blackened walls, is scheduled to be completely rebuilt by late 2003. Dresden also boasts beautiful churches and palaces, as well as many world-class museums -- among the finest in all of Germany.

City officials want the entire city rebuilt by 2006 in time for Dresden's 800th anniversary. Even though that dream is a long way from being realized, much has already been accomplished. Thankfully, the work has proceeded along sensible lines and has none of the unreal, theme-park feeling that some restorations produce. Wherever you go, you will not be allowed to forget the Allied bombings of February 1945, which destroyed about three-quarters of the Altstadt.

In August 2002, the city of Dresden, battered by the rising floodwaters of the Elbe, battled furiously to save its cultural heritage (as well as its people, buildings, and even zoo animals). It more or less succeeded, and museum workers, the police, and even the German army were called out to rescue hundreds of paintings and other art treasures as the waters of the Elbe rose by the hour, threatening to destroy the works of such old masters as Rembrandt, Ruvens, and Raphael. Most of the city's major landmarks, including the Zwinger Palace, were under siege. The city was particularly saddened because it had been making gigantic efforts and, indeed, had realized impressive results, to restore itself to the glory it had achieved before Allied bombers virtually flattened it in 1945. City officials have made great promise in erasing the damage caused by the flood.