Wikipedia
See also: Theodor Zwinger'' The Zwinger Palace in Dresden, is a Germanymajor German landmark. 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.
History - 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 SemperoperSemper opera house until the Elbe river. It was designed by Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann 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. The building was mostly destroyed by the Bombing of Dresden in World War IIcarpet bombing raids of February 13-February 1515, 1945. The art collection had been evacuated before, though.After World War II, in a referendum, the people of Dresden voted to restore the building and generally preferred to rebuild the glories of the city, instead of having the ruins bulldozed to make way for the architecture of socialist realism then prevalent in the German Democratic Republic.
Museum - Albeit smaller the Zwinger became the star attraction in that city's rich cultural heritage. It now houses various collections of fine art and scientific treasures. There is a collection of old masters, with paintings of Peter Paul RubensRubens, Canaletto, Raphael and many others. The Rüstkammer (Armory) houses a fine collection of weapons and armor, mostly dating from the 16th and 17th century. Also there is a collection of Meissen porcelain and clocks and scientific instruments. CommonsDresdner Zwinger germany-struct-stub Category: Landmarks of GermanyDresdenCategory: Art museums and galleries in GermanyCategory: Baroque architectureCategory: DresdenCategory: Palaces in Germanyde:Zwinger (Dresden)fr:Palais !Zwingerpl:Zwingerru:Цвинг ерsv:Zwinger
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