- The
first documented mention of the early settlement in the area of the present day
Dresden dates from the year 1206. Even before that, the area had been a very
attractive place for different tribes, as the Elbe valley was and still is a
very fertile area. However the castle which was build in the 12th century to
guard the busy river crossing at Elbe, speeded the growth of the small
settlement. In 1216 the documents already state that the settlement is growing
fast around the castle.
- In the year 1500 there were already 6 000 people living in the city and during the next one hundred year, the city's population tripled. In the seven years war from 1756 to 1763 the city of Dresden which now held over 63 000 people, suffered heavy damage from the Prussian troops which siege the city many times and in 1760 bombard the city with artillery and resulted a heavy damage to the central area of the city. After the war, it took nearly sixty year, before the city would have the same amount of people living in it, as before the war.
- After the Napoleonic age from which the city survived with minimal damage, the industrialization grew rapidly in the city and expanded outside the now demolished city fortifications. The first railway line in Germany was also opened from Dresden to Leipzig in 1839. During the 19th century Dresden became a major city with population exceeding half a million and thus it being the fourth biggest city in Germany. Dresden was also the center of the cultural and scientific life in Germany.
- The end of the First World War marked a new era for the city, which went through some violent developments, which led to the creation of Free State of Saxony. After the war things settled down and the town was again the center of culture and scientific life, which however was put to an end in 1933, when the National Socialists came to power. The economy of Dresden and the social life was integrated so, that it would suit the needs of a war, that was already glooming in the future.
- The real devastation from which Dresden is so well know, came on 13th to 15th of February 1945, just three months before the end of the war. Five air raids to the city, created a fire storm which killed at least 35 000 citizens and the bombs destroyed the historical city completely. The necessary of the bombing is highly controversial, blurred as much from the propaganda by Josef Gobbels, than from the propaganda of the East-Germany, which didn't have any need to correct a stain on the western allies shield, after the war. The fact is that the city was a vital railroad junction, but it was also full of refugees, fleeing from the Red Army. Still, Dresden isn't the only city which was bombed back to the stone age by American and British planes and the bombing of Hamburg in 1943, created a similar fire storm inside the city.
- The book which is shown here, shows the city as it was at the turn of the century. There is no actual dates or years printed on it, but while reading the pages, all of the years which are mentioned, are before the year 1900. Also looking at the pictures, there is no cars shown and the clothes of the people certainly look like from the beginning of the century. This book has been published as a tourist guide. It also contains a map of Dresden, but that is not shown here, as it's a very large one and in a bad condition. The paper on which the book is printed, is a similar to the paper which is today used to newspaper. So that in mind, you can guess what hundred years have done to the pictures.
- Move to: Thumbnails to see the pictures.
