Zwinger

:See also: Theodor Zwinger

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The Zwinger Palace in Dresden, is a major German landmark.

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The name derives from the German word bezwingen (to conquer). The location was formerly part of the Dresden fortress, comprising an inner and outer wall. In the space between a possible invader was meant to be conquered by gun fire if he had sucessfully taken the outer wall.

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King Augustus II of Poland, elector of Saxony, returned from an Italian journey and was thoroughly impressed by the remains of the Roman Forum. So he wanted something similar for himself. The fortifications were no longer needed and provided readily available space for his plans. The original plans covered the space of the actual complex, the Semper opera house until the Elbe river. It was designed by Matth?us Daniel P?ppelmann in 1722. The death of king August in 1733 put a halt to the construction because the funds were needed elsewere. The palace area was left open towards the opera place. Later the plans were changed to a smaller scale, and the area was closed with the construction of the wing now separating the Zwinger from the opera place.

Dresden: is the capital city of the German federal state of Saxony, is situated in a valley on the river Elbe. The city?s population stood at 480,347 in December 2004 and the total population in its agglomeration was approximately 800,000. Dresden is part of a metropolitan area called Saxon triangle with a p...

Augustus II of Poland: Augustus II, nicknamed "the Strong" (May 12, 1670?February 1, 1733; (Polish: August II Mocny; German: August II der Starke) was Elector of Saxony (where he was known as Frederick Augustus I) from 1694 to 1733 and King of Poland from 1697 to 1704 and again from 1709 to 1733. He involved the Commonwe...

Roman Forum: The Roman Forum (Forum Romanum, although the Romans referred to it more often as the Forum Magnum or just the Forum) was the central area around which ancient Rome developed, in which commerce, business, prostitution, cult and the administration of justice took place. Here the communal hearth was lo...

Zwinger related Images and Photos (experimental)

Satyr Pilasters Decorating the Exterior of the Zwinger Museum