The Passenger ⋆ Page 195 of 274 ⋆ Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.

November 16, 2015September 26, 2020

Crossing the Czech Republic

Autumn is road trip time! And after looking on a map of Poland there was only one spot left, I haven’t visited in the past: Kraków. And as I have not been to Praha during the last 15 years I decided to cross the entire Czech Republic with stops in Praha and Brno and to drive over the border to Kraków. The most important reason indeed was, that I had not visited a concentration camp before – something that felt odd as I was even travelling to Jerusalem, Israel to learn more about the Shoa.

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November 16, 2015April 19, 2022

Elbflorenz

Always bad news from Dresden, Germany: every monday a movement of ant-islamic and xenophobic citizens demonstrates their view on politics, inviting speakers that even cross the border to fascist statements. And the crude excesses at the asylum-seeker housing in close-by Heidenau. And the violence-prone “fans” of the soccer club Dynamo Dresden. A city to avoid?

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November 16, 2015June 18, 2018

A squiggled orangery

One of the mayor sights in Dresden, Germany is the “Zwinger” – an orangery and garden close to the river Elbe. It dates back to the 17th century and has been planned by famous architect Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann. You can walk through the gardens, roam the terraces and enjoy the buildings in Baroque style.

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November 16, 2015June 18, 2018

The Semperoper

The opera of Dresden, Germany has been named after its architect Gottfried Semper and was built from the year 1838 on. It is one of the landmarks of Dresden and located close to the Zwinger and the river Elbe. It was destroyed twice: In 1869 and in 1945. And only in 1985 the building could be re-opened with a show of “Der Freischütz” from Carl Maria von Weber. One of the last positive moments for the government of the GDR.

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November 16, 2015June 18, 2018

Procession of Princes

The Fürstenzug in Dresden, Germany is a huge mural display attached to the castle within the city center. It has been painted from 1871 to 1876 and should celebrate the former sovereigns of Saxonia on the 800th anniversary of the Wettin family. It is 102 meters long and depicts 35 noblemen mounted on their horses.

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November 16, 2015September 13, 2023

Finally restored

I still remember the moment when I was standing in front of the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in Dresden, Germany the first time in my life. It was a ruin. Big blocks of stone were lying around. The government of the GDR had no interest in repairing a house of prayer and left it standing in ruins – as a memorial of war.

November 15, 2015June 18, 2018

Sleeping on a ship

I usually book hotels with HRS and select them by plain categories like price, location and availability of a car park – when doing road trips. When I needed a place to stay at Dresden, Germany a simple but very special harbourage came to my mind: the ship hotel “Pöppelmann” (named after the architect of the Zwinger).

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November 15, 2015June 18, 2018

Going deeper underground

There are many old mines that can be visited in Germany, especially in the Harz mountains. But the salt mine in Wieliczka close to Kraków, Poland stands out in different dimensions. At first the vast size has to be named; it is somehow like a city under the earth – with a restaurant, a museum and different shops. You can walk around down there for hours.

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November 14, 2015April 19, 2022

Beware of the dragon

Kraków, Poland is a wonderful medieval city that survived the centuries without being destroyed or harmed. That is why it has a very unique atmosphere and style. It was until 1596 the capital of the kingdom of Poland and most Polish kings are buried within the cathedral of Kraków. Here you’ll also find the second-oldest university in northern Europe directly after Praha, Czech Republic.

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November 14, 2015June 18, 2018

Puro Hotel

I chose the Puro hotel in Kraków, Poland only because of its location: it is directly opposite of the main railway station and therefore really easy to find. When checking in I was pretty surprised because it had nothing in common with the mostly shabby hotels found close to German railway stations.

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