Christmas in Dresden

“There are unbelievable treasures of all kinds in this beautiful place”, wrote Goethe of Dresden, where the magnificent Baroque dome of the re-consecrated Frauenkirche, in which Bach and Wagner once performed, vies with Augustus the Strong’s Zwinger Palace as the city’s dominant landmark. Dresden and its environs provide the perfect setting to celebrate Christmas amidst a wealth of artistic highlights. The Zwinger, a vast complex of formal gardens, ornate fountains and grand pavilions, houses the Old Masters Picture Gallery. Here, the world’s largest collection of works by Lucas Cranach the Elder and Lucas Cranach the Younger hangs alongside paintings by Raphael, Botticelli, Velázquez and Rembrandt. The New Masters Gallery contains masterpieces by Caspar David Friedrich, one of the most important German Romantic painters.

Further attractions include Dresden’s Royal Palace, the former seat of the Saxon government. The gilded and mirrored Baroque chambers of the Historic Green Vault reveal treasures collected by Augustus the Strong between 1723 and 1730, including his exquisite ceremonial jewellery.

In nearby Meissen, once home to the alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger, who discovered the formula for creating white porcelain in 1708, we will undertake a walking tour of the historic quarter and visit the Porcelain Factory.

Dresden is, of course, renowned for its dazzlingly festive atmosphere; during our stay there will be the opportunity to visit the city’s famous Christmas Market, one of the oldest and most magnificent in Germany.

We will stay throughout at the five-star Hyperion Hotel Dresden am Schloss, conveniently located in the heart of the Old Town, close to the Zwinger Palace.

This tour will be led by Colin Bailey, BA, PhD, FSA, FSAScot, FRSA, an art historian, former curator, and experienced Arts Society lecturer. Colin has held a succession of top posts, including head librarian at the Barber Institute at Birmingham University, keeper of British art at Liverpool’s Walker Art Gallery and head of Humanities at Edinburgh College of Art.