Zwinger

The Zwinger (German: Dresdner Zwinger) is a Baroque ensemble of pavilions and galleries around a courtyard, now home to museums of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden.

The Zwinger's Crown Gate and long gallery above a grassy moat, with a flowering lilac bush in the foreground under a clear blue sky.

Diego Delso Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

What it is

The name Zwinger refers to the site between the inner and the outer fortification wall of the city. The courtyard has lawns and fountain basins.

The Zwinger houses the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister with the Skulpturensammlung bis 1800, the Porzellansammlung and the Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon.

History

Augustus the Strong commissioned the Zwinger in 1709. It was built as an orangery and a festival ground for the court. In 1719 the wedding celebrations of Crown Prince Friedrich August were held there. Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann was the architect and Balthasar Permoser the sculptor. The buildings were completed in 1728.

From 1728 the pavilions and galleries housed the court's collections: a library, natural science collections and prints. Gottfried Semper's building was built from 1847 to 1855. It closes the courtyard on the Elbe side and houses the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister. A fire during the May Uprising of 1849 damaged the Zwinger, and it was rebuilt.

The air raids on Dresden in February 1945 heavily damaged the Zwinger. Rebuilding began that year and was finished in the 1960s.

Crown Gate and carillon

The Crown Gate (Kronentor) dates from 1714. It stands in the middle of the long gallery and is topped by a crown. The city-side pavilion has a carillon of Meissen porcelain bells, installed in the 1930s.

Seeing it

Checked 11 October 2026 The courtyard and its galleries can be walked through all year. In the summer months orange trees stand in the courtyard, recalling the Zwinger's first use. The Zwinger Xperience, a multimedia exhibition about its history, is in the Bogengalerie L and the Französischer Pavillon.

Checked 11 October 2026 The Nymphenbad is a grotto-like court, open to the sky, behind the Französischer Pavillon. It has nymph sculptures and a fountain cascade. It is being restored: the cascade has been enclosed since early June 2026, and completion is planned for late autumn 2026.

Checked 11 October 2026 The Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden run the museums. Staatliche Schlösser, Burgen und Gärten Sachsen (Schlösserland Sachsen) runs the Zwinger's own website and the Zwinger Xperience. Check the operator's own page for the grounds and the Xperience, and the museums' page for the museums, before you go.

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