Elbgespräche auf dem THEATERKAHN #30 mit Dr. Schieferdecker

In the organizer's words:

An architectural history excursion - from the Holy Roman Empire to modern times

Elbe talks at the THEATERKAHN #30 moderated by Dipl.-Ing. Karl-Heinz Kloppisch

Dresden - city of bridges
An architectural history excursion - from the Holy Roman Empire to modern times

With Dr. Uwe Schieferdecker
Non-fiction author, urban planner in Saxon and Brandenburg cities since 1993

Dresden emerged in the Middle Ages at the intersection of two trade routes; a ford through the Elbe facilitated its development.

The first Elbe bridge of the 12th century was considered the longest river bridge in the Holy Roman Empire in the High Middle Ages. Augustus the Strong commissioned his architect Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann to build a new bridge in its place in 1727-1731, the beauty of which was widely praised. This was followed in 1852 by the Marienbrücke, today the oldest bridge on the Elbe in the city. The stone Hegereiter Bridge over the Weißeritz was built even earlier in 1780 in Plauenscher Grund.

Severe bridge damage caused by floods in 1845, blasting in the wars of 1813 and 1945 or construction defects in 2024 led to deep cuts in urban life.

In a journey through time, Dresden author Dr. Uwe Schieferdecker takes us on an entertaining tour of the city's long bridge history.

About the speaker
Over the past three decades, Dr. Schieferdecker has written more than 30 books and given numerous lectures on historical and architectural topics in Dresden and Saxony.