Dresden

Like many cities in Europe, Dresden was completely destroyed in the 2nd World War. Unlike their British counterparts who were complete morons, the Germans decided to re-construct their historic cities using old photos and plans. During the Communist occupation Dresden was left to fester as a reminder of the horrors of war and presumably as a way of cowing the population.

After the Berlin Wall was knocked down by Bono and Geldorf, the West German authorities made a huge effort to restore the centre of Dresden to its former glory.

For example the Zwinger

The Opera

A pleasant cruise down the Elbe to Schloss Pillnitz

Dresden is an oft over-looked gem to rival Prague and Budapest and other trendy destinations favoured by Tarquin and Orlando. It also makes you ashamed to be British. Not because of what we did in the war but because the Germans decided to re-create an architectural gem whilst British bureaucrats were much more in the Stalinist mould and destroyed our city centres more completely than Hitler and Goering could ever have done. We are now saddled with concrete monstrosities and multi storey car parks which are hideous in the extreme and soulless adding to the lack of civic pride and hopelessness in British society in the post war era in which we are condemned to live forever.