Dressing Down Dresden Trivia Quiz

Answer: Saxony

Dresden has a long history as an important center in the region since at least 1270 when it served as the capital of the Margraviate of Meissen. It has served as a seat for Saxon dukes, prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire, and kings. It remains the traditional capital of Saxony and the second most populous city in the state after Leipzig.

Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Schleswig-Holstein are the southernmost, westernmost, and northernmost German states, respectively. The remaining states include Baden-Wurttemberg, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia.

This question was landed by Phoenix Rising's JCSon.

Answer: Elbe

Rising in the Giant Mountains in the Czech Republic, the Elbe is one of the major rivers of central Europe. Nestled on the hills of the Ore mountains is Dresden, with the city settled on both sides of the river's banks. The Elbe is the only navigable body of water that flows through the city.

The river's importance to Dresden increased rapidly during the 18th century as it became an important shipping lane and tow-paths were made on the river's banks for towing ships. Most of these still exist today. With the introduction of rail connections to Berlin and Leipzig came the call for further improvements to the navigability of the river. The Act of 1844 saw the removal of most of the small islands on the river, dykes were built and old arms of the river were cut off. Dresden flourished.

This growing wealth saw the landscape of the river gradually change. The farms that lined its banks soon turned to gardens and meadows with residential developments and villas sprouting through the valleys. Stepping into the 20th century, the values of these old buildings became recognised and steps were taken to ensure their protection, with laws finalised in 1941.

Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 put this question into the mainstream.

Answer: People of the forest

The name for the city derives from the Old Sorbian word 'Drezdany', Germanized in the Middle Ages as "Dresden". It means something quite literal like "settlement of people in the forest" or "the place in the forest". The area has been settled since Neolithic times and has historically been heavily forested.

Munich means something like "by the monks' place", Berlin means "river rake", and Leipzig means "settlement where the linden trees stand".

This question was crafted by Phoenix Rising's JCSon, whose name means "strait" or "handsome", but let's just settle on "straight handsome".

Answer: Flood

Germany is a country that is prone to flooding and there are a number of scholars who point the finger at climate change, which has, in turn, produced heavier than normal rains. Such was the case in 2002 when massive downpours brought severe flooding to the vastly unprepared city of Dresden. Described as the worst flood in the area since 1501, the News 24 team labelled Dresden the "Venice on the Elbe".

The propensity to flood has risen in recent times with the city again besieged by waters in 2005 and in 2006. These discharges were comparable to the high volumes that hit the city in 1862 and 1890. Prior to the 2002 flooding, the risk awareness and overall preparedness of the city was low; however, the savagery of the flood has created action. New risk management plans such as expanding Dresden's flood plains and overflow reservoirs, the installation of siphon lines, and endeavours to make the ground more permeable have helped. The latter is an attempt to make the place a form of a "sponge city".

The plans are bearing fruit as the damage from flooding in 2005 and again in 2011 was less severe despite strong downpours and discharges. Dresden has not seen the last of its floods and its ability to continue improving its own resilience against the waters will remain a challenge.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who advises that the best place during a flood is a tavern...I'll let that sink inn.

Answer: Richard Wagner

The May Uprising in Dresden was one of the last events in the Revolutions of 1848, a series of political insurrections against the ruling conservative aristocracies of Europe. In Germany, revolutionaries had formed a National Assembly to call for a constitutional monarchy. The democratic movement foundered when King Frederick William IV of Prussia refused the crown of the proposed German nation and King Frederick Augustus II of Saxony disbanded the Saxon parliament. The people rose up, but were not organized or equipped well enough to overthrow an aristocracy supported by Saxon and Prussian troops.

Wagner moved to Dresden in 1842 where he remained for the next six years until his political activism got him in trouble. Wagner wrote articles fomenting rebellion, stood on the barricades erected in Dresden as a lookout, and helped make hand-grenades for the revolutionaries. He spent the next twelve years living in exile in Zurich, Venice, and Paris, during which time he would complete his famous Ring Cycle (was hoping you'd catch the hint in the question).

This question was whipped up by Phoenix Rising's JCSon.

Answer: Protestant

The original church was built in the 11th century as part of the Meissen Diocese, an Eastern Orthodox chapter, and it remained as such until the Reformation in the 16th century. At this point it became a Protestant (Lutheran Protestant to be exact) church. The old church was torn down and a much larger one was built, with the construction beginning in 1727. As if to solidify the link between the church and the Protestant faith, a large statue of Martin Luther was erected at the front. Surprising support came from Frederick August I, the Prince-elector of Saxony, who had converted to Catholicism to enable his ascension as King of Poland. This put the minds of the locals at ease knowing that he would not be ruling by the dictum of "my realm, my religion".

The great structure, with a dome to rival St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, had been placed at risk numerous times. It survived the Prussian attacks of Frederich II during the Seven Years War in 1760 and was at the centre of the May Uprising in 1849. However, it did not survive World War II and the Allied bombings delivered in February of 1945. Whilst there were calls to rebuild the church, this did not occur as Germany became divided and East Germany (where Dresden is) fell under Communist control and they had no interest in doing so. They did, though, leave the ruins in place.

In 1966 the ruins were declared (officially) a memorial against war. A commemorative ceremony was instituted at the same time, programmed for the anniversary of the city's bombing. In 1982 this then became the site for a peace movement against the East German regime that began as a gathering of 400 citizens and soon swelled into a civil rights movement across the country. Whilst the toppling of the Berlin Wall in 1989 paved the way for German reunification it also provided the impetus to have the church rebuilt. Reconstruction was approved in 1992, the foundation stone was laid in 1994 and the whole task was completed in 2005. This was one year ahead of schedule and in time for the city's 800th anniversary celebrations.

In completing this question for Phoenix Rising, pollucci19 prayed he wouldn't make a clerical error.

Answer: Hygiene Museum

Dresden hosted a world's fair focused on medicine and public health in 1911 called the International Hygiene Exhibition. The Hygiene Museum was opened the following year to permanently display the contents of the expo. It was envisioned as an interactive public forum for medical and public health education, promoting bodily awareness and a healthy lifestyle. Modernized in 1991 after German reunification, it also hosts an excellent children's museum and remains one of Dresden's most popular museums.

The Fragrance Museum is in Cologne. Stuttgart is home to the Schweinemuseum (Pig Museum). The Museum der Unerhorten Dinge (Museum of Unheard-of Things) is in Berlin.

Phoenix Rising's JCSon cleaned up with this question.

Answer: Coventry, England

The English city of Coventry became Dresden's first twin in 1959 in a move aimed at promoting reconciliation between the two countries.

Coventry was bombed by the German Luftwaffe on multiple occasions between August 1940 and August 1942, which together resulted in the destruction of most of the city centre. However, the most devastating raid occurred on the night of 14th and 15th of November 1940 and included the destruction of Coventry Cathedral.

Dresden, which, like Coventry, was a significant industrial and manufacturing centre, was attacked by the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Forces in a single major offensive that lasted from the 13th to the 15th of February 1945. This mass bombing resulted in the almost complete destruction of Dresden's inner-city area.

Dresden was twinned with Wroclaw in 1963, Florence in 1978 and Strasbourg in 1990. The other nine twins created during this period were Saint Petersburg, Skopje, Ostrava, Brazzaville, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Salzburg, Columbus and Hangzhou.

This question was entwined together by Phoenix Rising's Fifiona81.

Answer: Florence

Often called the "Florence on the Elbe" the two cities share remarkable similarities. Both cities endured wide scale destruction during World War II that required painstaking rebuilds: Florence after German occupation, and Dresden was nearly razed by the Allies in 1945.

Florence was the cradle of the Renaissance movement in Italy, and it boasts some of the finest sculptures and works of art in the world. Tourists are drawn to centres such as the Uffizi Gallery, the Museo Stibbert and the Bargello National Museum, to name a few. In much the same way Dresden can boast the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, which operates a dozen art and sculpture museums based in Dresden castle, the Zwinger and the Albertinum. One should also mention the Old Masters Painting Gallery which boasts works from the likes of Raphael, Vermeer and Correggio.

Winston Churchill once said, "We shape our buildings; thereafter, they shape us" and this is very evident in the sky and streetscapes that you will find in Florence and Dresden. While the former can boast the likes of the Cattedrale di Santa Maria, the Pitti Palace and the Palazzo Vechhio, the latter counters with the stunning Frauenkirche, the Albertium and the Dresden Castle.

After completing this question, Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 is just etching to get to an art gallery.

Answer: A grand opera house

The Semperoper or Semper Opera House is one of the most prestigious opera houses in the world and Germany's most famous. It is located on the historic Theaterplatz square in the center of Dresden and is home to the Saxon State Opera and the Saxon State Orchestra (one of the world's oldest and best regarded).

Originally built in 1841 by Gottfried Semper, the building featured Renaissance, Baroque, and Corinthian design elements. Though Semper was in exile following his involvement in the May Uprising of 1849, the residents of Dresden invited him back to rebuild after a destructive fire in 1869. It was destroyed once again in 1945 during the Allied bombing of Dresden, reopening in 1985 after a period of reconstruction.

This question was dutifully composed by Phoenix Rising's JCSon.

Answer: 60%

The Dresden City Council's web page indicates that this figure is closer to 62% of woods and green space and that this was achieved by centuries of astute planning and far-sightedness and a desire to make the best use possible of its stunning Elbe River Valley. To the north of the city is the Dresdner Heidi (Dresden Heath), an important recreation area that is seen as one of the largest municipal forests in Germany. In all this covers 6,133 hectares (15,155 acres). Grober Garten park, which covers 1.8 square kilometres (0.7 square miles) is spread out through the heart of the city and then, there is the amazing Elbe River valley with its vineyards and broad meadows.

The city's protected areas include 265 hectares (654 acres) of nature reserves, 12,340 hectares (30,492 acres) of landscaped areas, some 138 natural monuments, 1,901 hectares (4,697 acres) of flora/fauna habitat areas, 1,609 hectares (3,975) of bird sanctuaries and numerous flowing and standing waters that form a link to many of its nature reserves.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who resisted the temptation to write environmental jokes here because he wasn't sure that you could green and bear it.

Answer: Singing Drain Pipes

The Kunsthopassage is a complex of five charming, uniquely themed courtyards in the Neustadt district of Dresden: the Courtyard of Music, Courtyard of Light, Courtyard of Animals, Courtyard of Metamorphosis, and Courtyard of Mythical Creatures. Nestled within the courtyards are a delightful assortment of boutiques, cafes, restaurants, bars, and art galleries.

The Singing Drain Pipes are a distinctive installation reminiscent of a Rube Goldberg Machine built onto the facade of a turquoise-colored house in the Courtyard of Music. The network of pipes, funnels, trumpets, platforms, and spouts are acoustically designed to create a symphony of sound whenever it rains.

The Dancing House is in Prague, the Atomium is in Brussels, and the Cube Houses are in Rotterdam.

Phoenix Rising's JCSon served as a conduit for this question.

Answer: True

UNESCO had bestowed a World Heritage listing on Dresden's remarkable Elbe Valley, citing it as a "cultural landscape". This covered a stretch of low meadows along the river from Ubigau Palace and Ostragehege fields in the north-west to the Pillnitz Palace and the Elbe River Island in the south-east. This area was dotted with numerous buildings and monuments that were built from the 16th through to the 20th century.

In 2006 the City of Dresden announced the planned construction of the four lane Waldschlosschenbrucke Bridge, which saw UNESCO place the site on the "red list", warning the city that it could lose its listing. Whilst conservationists said that the bridge would be a blot on the landscape, particularly as it was being built right near the old city, the residents pushed forward with the idea that the bridge was essential to ease traffic congestion and "we're better off with a bridge than a UNESCO Heritage listing".

The loss of the listing, which occurred in 2009, may impact on tourism, but only time will tell.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who feels that he's old enough to qualify for a UNESCO Heritage listing.

Answer: Waitangi, New Zealand

Dresden's coordinates are 51.051, 13.738. The coordinates of its antipodal point are -51.051, -166.262. Waitangi (-43.954, -176.560) in the Chatham Islands (as opposed to the Waitangi on the North Island) is the closest city to Dresden's antipode, making it the farthest city in the world from Dresden (almost 19,000 km or 11,800 miles away).

Dajeon and Shiraz are considered friendship cities of Dresden, a step on the path to sister or twin city.

This question was coordinated by Phoenix Rising's JCSon who was born in Durban, a long way off from both Dresden and Waitangi.

Answer: Museum

The museum was founded in 1723 by Augustus the Strong and it drew its name from the malachite green paint that was applied to the rooms of the initial building. As well as boasting one of the biggest treasure exhibitions in Europe, the museum considers itself one of the oldest on the continent.

The Vault was an additional wing added to the Dresden Castle in 1547 by the Holy Roman elector, Moritz of Saxony. The wing would boast four rooms and have thicker walls and iron shutters to provide added protection against robbery and fire. This was important as it would become a chamber for rulers to store their confidential documents and jewellery.

Frederic Augustus I (Augustus the Strong) decided to make the private public and opened the doors to the chambers to allow people to view his collection of treasures. In the Baroque period, this was an unprecedented event. Now a part of the Dresden State Art Collections, the building was severely damaged during the bombings of World War II and had to be painstakingly restored.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who was glad the museum was Baroque...otherwise they wouldn't have fixed it.