Dresden

 

Dresden is the historic capital of Saxony in Germany. It has a Museum of Military History, which deals with the subject gracefully. 

A 15th century cannon called Faule Magd. It was used to destroy walls, or at least convince town inhabitants to surrender without a fight.

Quite the coat of arms

Helmets!

I don't think I want to see the human zoo...

Armor through the ages

Ammunition for the 800mm Dora gun from WWII. This was used as a rainwater collection basin until 1967.

Get down!

A V2 rocket and Soyuz 29, the Russian space capsule from 1978 that delivered the first (East) German to space.

Animals of war

Mascots count too

A half-track from WWII

A mini-bike for Paratroopers

Probably not appropriate for the intended age group...

Dresden from the museum

DeLorean! 

Dresden has been mostly rebuilt since being heavily bombed in WWII.

There were rallies commemorating the fire-bombing of Dresden while we were there. The police were out in force.

Reminders of Soviet satellite status linger

Dresden is home to some great historic restaurants, with some of the biggest beers and portions in Germany.

Meat, potatoes, mustard, and pickled vegetables. Must be Germany!

All great German digestives are green.

Quite a fountain

Dresden Castle is home to an impressive collection of jewels and historic artifacts.

A 17th century rolling ball clock from Augsburg

A 16th century griffin's claw drinking horn

A popular 17th century drinking vessel that brides and grooms drank out of at the same time at weddings.

An allegory for gluttony

Augustus the Strong's court jester, Joseph Frohlich. He came from Styria in 1727 to Dresden to become one of the great jesters of his generation.

The Throne of the Grand Mogul Aureng-Zeb, an 18th century Germany fantasy of oriental life

Griffin drinking vessels

The Palace is still being restored.

Augustus the Strong (1670-1733), Elector of Saxony, King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania, father of over 300 children, master of fox-tossing, and breaker of horse-shoes with his bare hands.

16th century Saxon weaponry

The Electoral Sword of Saxony and House Wettin, from 1423

Saxony was partitioned in 1485 between the heirs of House Wettin. This was common in the Holy Roman Empire, which led to the arcane patchwork of tiny duchies it is known for today. The Albertine side eventually obtained the title of Elector from the Ernestine side through battle and court intrigue. The Moritz Monument shows Moritz passing the Saxon electoral sword to his brother, August, on his death. 

A Spanish coat looted by Saxon troops following a battle against Emperor Charles V

Royal fashion reaches its low point circa 1556.

An outfit worn by Elector Johann Goerg I of Saxony in the 17th century.

A sawfish nose sword with the Saxon coat of arms from the 16th century

I thought these only existed in Final Fantasy games until I saw them in the Dresden Royal Palace.

17th century playing cards, without aces and jacks, but with four princes and chevaliers

The long hallway is full of more weapons.

It looks great on the outside too.

Nice mounts

The other side is the Furstenzug, a porcelain depiction of Saxon rulers through the ages. Porcelain was first made in Europe when Augustus the Strong locked a chemist in a cell to force him to make gold; instead he made porcelain, almost as good back then.

Fancy!

Armor for the royal children, circa 1590

The Elector will see you now.

The cane of Jan III Sobieski, King of Poland, and some sweet Polish pistols and armor 

A horseshoe broken by Augustus the Strong in 1711 to commemorate the baptism of his Indian court dwarf, Hante. The best of times.

Augustus the Strong's Polish royal regalia

The Saxon court loved Turkish aesthetics. Augustus the Strong's heir had a Turkish themed wedding with hundreds of Turkish camp tents.

A Turkish battle standard from the Battle of Osijek in modern day Croatia circa 1687

Ottoman hand grenades from Crete

17th century Ottoman quivers

Weapons from Augustus the Strong's Janissary battalion. It was more for show than combat.

Jousting equipment from the 16th century

Flamberge swords wielded by expert infantry in the days of the Landsknechts

The Saxon royal family had an extensive collection of Chinese art as well.

The Zwinger is another icon of Dresden and home to the Old Masters Gallery.

Augustus is perfect in every way.

A skull sculpted to remind Pope Alexander VII death could come at any moment.

Raphael's famous putti

Elector Friedrich III of Saxony, called "the Wise," but was described as a fat groundhog due to his obesity. 

A parade at the Zwinger

Cranach the Elder paints high fashion in 1514

Cranach the Younger, "Hercules Awakes and Drives the Pygmies Away"

The Frauenkirche is a Lutheran church and has one of the largest domes in Europe. The Protestant movement was protected by the Electorate of Saxony, who led the Schmalkaldic League against the Catholic Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.